Category Archives: Woodhaven
Firefighters discovered the badly burned body of a man when they responded to a brush fire in Forest Park early on Saturday morning. Police are now investigating the death and an autopsy is being performed to determine how the man died and why the body was involved in the grisly incident. Minutes before 6 a.m., police and fire officials responded to the small area of brush that was aflame a few dozen feet into the park near the corner … Continue reading
Renovations are underway at the Forest Park Carousel for its opening at the end of the month, and the company formed just last month to run the attraction says it will be $3 or less per ride when the horses start running. Last week, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation announced they selected NY Carousel Entertainment as the new operator. The company, which hadn’t officially existed before March, was created by a group of amusement industry lovers with the … Continue reading
After Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealed that he once again wants to close fire companies to bridge a budget gap, politicians and firefighters were quick to object in what’s become an annual tug of war. Last year, Bloomberg proposed closing 20 fire companies, including four in Queens: Engine 294 on Jamaica Avenue, Engine 306 on 214th Place, Engine 328 on Central Avenue and Ladder 128 on Greenpoint Avenue. Once again, 20 companies are on the line in Bloomberg’s revised $68.7 billion … Continue reading
Residents at a local community board meeting got a chance to chime in on the potential addition of speed humps to roads in Woodhaven before the official vote. At the Community Board 9 meeting on Tuesday, May 8, Chairperson Andrea Crawford announced that, when the board next meets in June, it would vote on whether or not to install speed humps in three areas within their district. The three speed hump locations are all in Woodhaven: 80th Street between Park … Continue reading
Every year for the past five years, Queens fights for its libraries. Council members, the borough president, Queens Library employees— anyone who can read and wants a place to do it—take to the steps of their libraries and city hall. This year is no different, except there’s more on the line. Mayor Michael Bloomberg released his executive budget last week, and in it he proposed a $26.7 million cut to the Queens Library— a 31 percent reduction from last … Continue reading
Forest Park Carousel will open by Memorial Day weekend thanks to the Department of Parks and Recreation settling on an operator. This week, Parks announced New York Carousel Entertainment won the bid to operate the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Carousel and the long-shuttered Forest Park Carousel. Parks and New York Carousel are now inking the final details of the agreement, but the company was granted a work permit to get the carousels ready for an opening this month, a Parks … Continue reading
As another way to drum up support for a possible new transportation option in Queens, one local legislator has turned to the internet to gather signatures. Asssemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway) recently launched a petition on his assembly website to get community support for restoring the Rockaway Beach Rail Line, which would stretch 3.5 miles starting from Rego Park and continuing through the Rockaways. The rail, which would come across the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) line, has been inactive since … Continue reading
Twenty-six-year-old Paul Gagliardotto said he’s long been politically active. He’s participated in local party politics to try to make a difference around his neighborhood in Glendale. But since the recent redistricting process chopped up Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Glendale and other areas situated around Forest Park, Gagliardotto saw unified power on the local level dwindling. That’s why Gagliardotto is taking a step back from political activism and going grassroots. He’s starting the Forest Park Civic Association—a new civic group that had … Continue reading
Residents andpublic officials got their chance to speak up on Thursday, April 26 against a New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) plan, which would increase water rates 7 percent for the upcoming fiscal year. In one of five meetings it held throughout New York City, the DEP presented its water rate hike plan at Christ the King High School in Middle Village. Carter Strickland, commissioner of DEP, said that the main reason for the hike is to cover … Continue reading
For the past eight years, a Woodhaven-based school has offered women a second chance to better their educational skills in hopes of improving their lives and the lives of their families. The center will have a dinner and fundraiser on Tuesday, May 8, so that it can keep running for another eight years. The School Sisters of Notre Dame Education Center, located at 87-04 88th Avenue in Woodhaven, hosts GED, or General Educational Development and English as a Second Language … Continue reading
It’s been a decade of flavor for Queens Taste. The annual event lets attendees try a morsel of food from restaurants all around the borough. And this year, the Queens Economic Development Corporation marked the tenth year of the event’s existence at Citi Field. Business owners, community leaders, restaurateurs and foodies got a culinary tour of Queens with dozens of restaurants offering tasting. The event also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the corporation, which awarded StartUP awards to promising business … Continue reading
A hit-and-run driver left 50-year-old Clifford Bishundat in critical condition Monday night after striking him near the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard around 7 p.m. Bishundat was crossing the street when Ian Glasgow, 59, plowed into him and took off from the accident scene. A good Samaritan was able to stop Glasgow about four blocks away from the scene. Police apprehended the driver and administered a breathalyzer check, which did not show blood alcohol levels above the legal … Continue reading
Residents at last week’s Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association meeting (WRBA), raised concerns about kids from Junior High School 210 causing trouble, including standing near moving cars in the street, after they get out of school. Two politicians in the running for a seat in congress also stopped by to speak with residents, who they would represent should they win that seat. Suzanne Catoggio and Sharisse Sexton, two school safety officers from the 102nd Precinct, spoke to residents regarding problems after … Continue reading
Laura Latham can appreciate the value of watching her children play just like regular kids, even if only for a little while. A parent of two children, one with autism, Latham was one of several members of New York Families for Autistic Children (NYFAC) in 2008 that were approached by Terry Flanagan, president of the Woodhaven- Ozone Park-Richmond Hill- Kew Gardens-and South Ozone Park (WORKS) Little League, with a new idea—having NYFAC’s children play baseball with the South Queens baseball … Continue reading
In a shocking announcement at 10 this morning, Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich posted a video saying he will challenge Democrat Joe Addabbo for his New York State Senate seat. Just this week, City and State reported that Ulrich, a second-term councilman, was unlikely to run for senate. He is, however, a top choice of Queens GOP officials. The 27-year-old is viewed as a rising star on the Republican horizon. Addabbo and Ulrich will battle for the 15th District, … Continue reading