Category Archives: Woodhaven
Woodhaven civic leaders and elected officials are urging the city Department of Sanitation to change its policy on trash removal after property and business owners said they have been unfairly slapped with tickets that are more about lining the city’s coffers than protecting residents. Owners have faced forking over as much as $350 per ticket – once fines have accrued while an individual fights the ticket in court – for garbage problems that are not their fault, but rather stem … Continue reading
Following a building collapse in Woodhaven that sent a storm of bricks crashing into an area often packed with vehicles and pedestrians during rush hour on Friday, April 12, area residents are mobilizing to gather data about neighborhood buildings in an effort to prevent a similar situation. “It’s really aggravating because there’s an open complaint for this building in which they said, ‘hey, this could collapse,’” Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association President Ed Wendell said of the building at 78-19 Jamaica … Continue reading
Flanked by legislators, neighborhood leaders and family – including his 96-year-old grandfather – and armed with harsh words for tax increases and fines on small businesses, civic activist Craig Caruana officially launched his campaign for Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s (D-Middle Village) seat representing Council District 30 on Monday. “There’s so much going on in the country that, as just one person, you can fall into the trap of thinking there’s nothing you can do about it – but you can,” Caruana, … Continue reading
A celebration by police last week in the speedy arrest of the Forest Park stun gun sexual assaulter apparently came too early—they arrested the wrong man. After an intensive search, including neighborhood canvassing and the posting of flyers and posters, police arrested Richard Kassebaum, 42, of Howard Beach, for the attack of a jogger who was running through the park shortly before 7:30pm on March 25. However, on Thursday, they were forced to void the arrest. Although police were forced to … Continue reading
CELEBRATING A HAPPY HOPPY EASTER It was time for Easter egg hunts and photos with the Easter Bunny throughout our readership area over last weekend, with plenty of surprises and treats to bring smiles and good times to everyone. Ozone Park Civic The Ozone Park Civic Association held their 8th annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Ozone Howard Little League fields. More than 100 kids turned out to hunt for and collect eggs on the fields at the Ozone Howard Little … Continue reading
Tell a Centreville resident that the city will soon launch a sewer and roadway construction project first proposed more than three decades ago, and it is not unlikely they will scoff – loudly – and say their final demise is expected sooner than the city making good on its plan. “This is ongoing since the 1980s – every time they tell me they’re going to be digging, it’s like the story of the boy who cried wolf,” Ozone Park Civic … Continue reading
A Woodhaven man killed last Wednesday afternoon by a drunk driver is the fourth to die in the area at the hands of a motorist in the last six months. John Eberling, 76, was mowed down on Jamaica Avenue as he was crossing he intersection of Jamaica Avenue near 80th Street. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival Eberling was struck by a drunk driver, 45-year-old Viveshdyal Thakoordyal, who was behind the wheel of … Continue reading
The long awaited renovation to the Queens Library at Woodhaven will begin shortly after the official closing of the branch at the end of business on Friday, March 8, 2013. The branch is set to undergo a large renovation that will see many amenities added to the facility. The renovation will reportedly take place in two phases and will bring several new additions including a new checkout system, new shelving and new computer tables. According to spokesman from the office … Continue reading
Police are still looking for a bike-riding robbery suspect who has been terrorizing middle-aged and older women in the Woodhaven area since at least early December. Reports say the suspect is riding a mountain bike and stealing pocketbooks and cell phones from his victims. The suspect is described by police as being either a black or Hispanic male in his late teens to early 20s. Police say the robbers’ attacks have become increasingly more violent as the suspect fights his … Continue reading
Residents of Woodhaven came out in full force at Monday’s redistricting hearing in Long Island City to protest proposed district lines that divide the neighborhood into two different districts. Since the second draft was unveiled of City Council maps in November, the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) has been adamant about their opposition to a proposal that would again split Woodhaven into Councilman Eric Ulrich and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s districts. Specifically, portions of the neighborhood could be swapped between the … Continue reading
Local residents say that “working girls,” a.k.a, prostitutes, have been prowling the streets of Woodhaven for at least 40 years. “The issue of working girls has been a problem off and on for a number of years,” said Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association. Wendell said that his group is “very plugged-in” and usually has its ears to the street, but they haven’t heard much lately on the issue. But, on a recent Friday night, several women … Continue reading
A new Manhattan-style high-line park may be coming to Queens thanks to a $467,000 grant, secured by Governor Cuomo, to study the feasibility of building a greenway on the now-defunct 3.5 miles of railroad track on the old LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch. But, the grant, announced recently by the Trust for Public Land, was greeted with mixed reactions in the borough where the project has divided residents into three camps: those in favor, those in opposition and those who want … Continue reading
Woodhaven wants to be united. That’s what the members of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association (WRBA) are saying about what was the proposed City Council redistricting map that will now be redrawn once again. The map would have had Woodhaven split into two districts, similar to how it is now between Councilman Eric Ulrich and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, and the civic group is calling on the redistricting commission to draw Woodhaven into a single district. At its most recent … Continue reading
Albert J. Baldeo, a Queens District leader for Richmond Hill and Ozone Park, is facing corruption charges for mail fraud conspiracy and obstruction of justice, according to prosecutors. The Democratic district leader is accused of using false donors to add illegal campaign donations to his failed 2010 campaign for the City Council. He supposedly attempted to fraudulently increase the amount of matching funds provided by the city, according to a report in The New York Times. He turned himself in … Continue reading
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced earlier this week that it is removing full-body scanners from both of New York’s airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, and moving them to smaller airports. The move comes after there was much controversy over the scanners. According to CBS News, opponents of the scanners say that it is an invasion of privacy because those scanners provide a very detailed image of the body. According to several published reports, TSA said … Continue reading