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Astoria > News Former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate is surrounded by his supporters, as well as those of his opponent, as he walks along 37th Avenue. Photo by Christina Santucci So long, Hiram.
The tenants of more than 80 buildings owned by Vantage Properties in Queens are riding high after their landlord settled with state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office over allegations of harassment.
State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) is calling on the state to enact laws that would guarantee good wages, health care and other benefits to cleaners and security guards at Con Edison and other public utilities that serve Queens.
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The 10-story building in Greenwich Village where 146 garment workers died in a fire that changed the political landscape of the state and the nation still stands.
After complaints from residents and calls from the community board, the city is removing the “no standing” signs it installed along Court Square in front of the Arris Lofts about a month ago.
Gov. David Paterson hopes to solicit new bids for the Aqueduct video lottery terminal project in one month after the deal between Aqueduct Entertainment Group and the state collapsed last week because the consortium was not granted a gaming license from the state Lottery Division.
Former state comptroller Alan Hevesi’s chief investment officer pleaded guilty last week to charges stemming from state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s investigation into corruption of the state pension fund during Hevesi’s tenure.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and an entourage of city and borough officials urged Queens residents to fill out the census forms coming their way this week in order to land more federal funding for a borough that has experienced a population increase in the past decade.
During her teenage years, Somaly Mam said she had to live through the toughest hell as a sex slave in a Cambodian brothel.
Queens legislators said they were impressed by Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch’s proposal to reform the state’s budget process, although they had their doubts about how many of his recommendations would see the light of day.
Proposed city and state budget cuts may force six Queens senior centers to close, eradicating a crucial system of support for a vulnerable population susceptible to loneliness and depression, officials said.
Nearly four years after the blackout that left western Queens in the dark for days, seeds sown by activists are about to bear fruit in the area.
A federal appeals court on Friday denied former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate’s request to restore his position in the state Legislature and cancel Tuesday’s election for the 13th Senate District.
Tax time has come again to Queens and with a special urgency for Long Island City’s public housing complexes, where a free tax prep service is closing a month earlier than last year.
The borough will be seeing green March 27 at an annual conference on green initiatives that will be hosted by the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces at Flushing’s Al Oerter Recreational Center.
In a move that would surprise few who heard him on the campaign trail last fall, former City Council candidate and Woodside resident David Rosasco has renounced the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans.
About 1,700 full-time employees at St. John’s University have been offered voluntary buyout packages and college officials said they will know next week how many individuals at the school will accept them.
The black and Jewish communities in the United States need to promote the goodwill that formed between the two groups during the civil rights movement to combat prejudice, especially against Muslims, hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons and Chairman of the World Jewish Congress United States Rabbi Marc Schneier said at Queens College this week.
Weekend subway service keeps getting worse, according to a new report by a transit advocacy agency. Ongoing events and notices in your community
Previous Astoria HeadlinesMarch 19th, 2010 Lebanese eatery opens in Greek AstoriaAstoria foodies have a new cause to celebrate following the opening of a Lebanese eatery with affordable prices under the N and W lines on 31st Street.March 18th, 2010 Let state conduct better traffic studyOn behalf of the Northeast Queens Community Action Network, I am writing to join with the National Resource Defense Council as well as other concerned citizens and groups in expressing concern over discrepancies in study results that could mean greater effects on traffic mobility, noise and air pollution and congestion than anticipated.Interstate buses must have seat beltsAs legal counsel to the Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association at the time, I was able to get signatures from a number of the organization’s members on a petition supporting seat belts on such buses. At a meeting of the association, Weiner said he supported such a proposal to protect people on such buses.Bloomberg, Klein must stop running schools like businessesCity Schools Chancellor Joel Klein sits as chairman on the board of directors of the Eli Broad Foundation. Eli Broad is a billionaire and philanthropist who wishes to throw a lot of money at schools — not just public schools. He believes in the privatization of schools and that schools must be run like businesses in order for them to succeed.Do not combine two boro bus routesThis is incorrect. Did he ever study Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus maps? If so, he would know the Q76 starts at the Jamaica bus terminal, serves two Hillside Avenue subway stations and seven schools and finishes at the College Point shopping center. The MTA estimated travel time is 50 minutes for this route.Raw data can be misleading in report on Queens' healthAs a surgeon dedicated to improving patient care here in Queens, I have taken the liberty of adding some context to the statistics used in the article in the hopes that this can help further educate the public.Discount factory outlets offer more torture than fun for DadJust over an hour’s drive, with cars zipping by me at speeds approaching 100 mph, we arrived at the congested parking lots where our first stop was Coach. The line inside to purchase an exchanged purse was long. Oh, what fun it is to stand on a rigid line all day.MTA must not eliminate the student MetroCard passFor the sake of my constituents, I oppose these proposed cuts and funding reductions proposed by the MTA, especially eliminating the student MetroCard passes, which targets a half-million schoolchildren. MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said “the MTA can no longer afford to subsidize this free service,” a reference to the 1995 agreement it made with the city and state splitting the cost, each paying $45 million. During this fiscal year, the state paid $6 million and the city $45 million.'The Heartland of Unfitness'Last Tuesday’s special election should be the nail in the coffin for the political career of former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate’s political career. The embattled politician was convinced the people who elected him first to the state Assembly and later to the Senate had been disenfranchised by the decision of his fellow senators that he was unfit to hold office.Our History: Bayside's 'Gentleman Jim' left boxing for acting careerThough James John Corbett’s pugilistic history as a world champion in boxing was short, it was one full of honor and acclaim. Born in California, he later made his home in Bayside. His house, only a few blocks from my own home, is still extant.Political Action: Primaries often prove damaging to Queens Dem candidatesIn the 19th Council District, Kevin Kim entered the Democratic primary against five other candidates, all of whom had more name recognition. When the final vote was spread out over six candidates, however, anything can happen and did.Dishing with Dee: Issue of boro GOP leadership continues to remain unclearOf course, deny, deny was the mantra of the day. Unfortunately, there were numerous people who also heard the remarks, but Commissioner Judith Stupp owes her job as well as her son’s job to Phil Ragusa — the same Ragusa who almost secured the executive director’s position on the city Board of Elections for her husband, Herb Stupp, who was not selected.Berger's Burg: Spring cleaning has nothing on having to paint the houseE.B., add painting to your list.NYC PaintBall and LaserTag a city first“High techs,” a man yelled in a darkened Long Island City warehouse on a recent Thursday night, attracting a crowd of advanced marksmen to a makeshift battleground.Subway rider advocates report deteriorating weekend serviceWeekend subway service keeps getting worse, according to a new report by a transit advocacy agency.Vantage tenants to wait months for settlementsThe tenants of more than 80 buildings owned by Vantage Properties in Queens are riding high after their landlord settled with state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office over allegations of harassment.Memory of Triangle Shirtwaist fire lives on in QueensThe 10-story building in Greenwich Village where 146 garment workers died in a fire that changed the political landscape of the state and the nation still stands.St. John's workers offered buyoutsAbout 1,700 full-time employees at St. John’s University have been offered voluntary buyout packages and college officials said they will know next week how many individuals at the school will accept them.Budget ax threatens county senior centersProposed city and state budget cuts may force six Queens senior centers to close, eradicating a crucial system of support for a vulnerable population susceptible to loneliness and depression, officials said.Queens College hosts Def Jam founder, renowned rabbiThe black and Jewish communities in the United States need to promote the goodwill that formed between the two groups during the civil rights movement to combat prejudice, especially against Muslims, hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons and Chairman of the World Jewish Congress United States Rabbi Marc Schneier said at Queens College this week.Rosasco joins GOP with dramatic gestureIn a move that would surprise few who heard him on the campaign trail last fall, former City Council candidate and Woodside resident David Rosasco has renounced the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans.Queens pols high-five Ravitch's budgetQueens legislators said they were impressed by Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch’s proposal to reform the state’s budget process, although they had their doubts about how many of his recommendations would see the light of day.Con Edison to dole out $7.9M for green projectsNearly four years after the blackout that left western Queens in the dark for days, seeds sown by activists are about to bear fruit in the area.Mayor urges boro to fill out Census formsMayor Michael Bloomberg and an entourage of city and borough officials urged Queens residents to fill out the census forms coming their way this week in order to land more federal funding for a borough that has experienced a population increase in the past decade.Hevesi staffer pleads in pension fund caseFormer state comptroller Alan Hevesi’s chief investment officer pleaded guilty last week to charges stemming from state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s investigation into corruption of the state pension fund during Hevesi’s tenure.Federal court upholds Monserrate expulsionA federal appeals court on Friday denied former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate’s request to restore his position in the state Legislature and cancel Tuesday’s election for the 13th Senate District.Going Green in Queens offers pruning workshopThe borough will be seeing green March 27 at an annual conference on green initiatives that will be hosted by the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces at Flushing’s Al Oerter Recreational Center.ERDA brings free tax prep to western QueensTax time has come again to Queens and with a special urgency for Long Island City’s public housing complexes, where a free tax prep service is closing a month earlier than last year.Former sex slave details life at Kew Gardens eventDuring her teenage years, Somaly Mam said she had to live through the toughest hell as a sex slave in a Cambodian brothel.Pols push wage law for utilityState Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) is calling on the state to enact laws that would guarantee good wages, health care and other benefits to cleaners and security guards at Con Edison and other public utilities that serve Queens.Arris Lofts tenants upset at sign changeAfter complaints from residents and calls from the community board, the city is removing the “no standing” signs it installed along Court Square in front of the Arris Lofts about a month ago.State criticizes AEG biz practicesGov. David Paterson hopes to solicit new bids for the Aqueduct video lottery terminal project in one month after the deal between Aqueduct Entertainment Group and the state collapsed last week because the consortium was not granted a gaming license from the state Lottery Division.United in songRagtime performer Rick Benjamin hopes his upcoming concert in Forest Hills will transport Queens residents to a time far from now, when vaudeville stars were kings and music had begun to tear at the seams of racial segregation.March 11th, 2010 Do not cut funding in budget to state parksThe $6.3 million saved through proposed park closures would amount to a fraction of 1 percent of the state’s $8.2 billion budget gap.Queens GOP leadership is clear and undisputedThe TimesLedger should perhaps require some minimum amount of fact−checking before going to print, e.g., by checking with me, checking with Queens GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa, or with the state GOP.Civic wants PS 130 to become a locally zoned school againThe kindergarten−through−third−grade school is at 200−01 42nd Ave., on the corner of Francis Lewis Boulevard and 42nd Avenue in Bayside. Geographically, this school is in District 26. Local students are currently bused to other elementary schools, so students who are bused to PS 130 from other neighborhoods throughout District 25 in Flushing have priority placement at the school.Make Toyota pay for faulty vehiclesThis is outrageous and unacceptable to the American people. A car should and must be 100 percent safe to drive. People should not have to worry about brake and accelerator problems with their vehicles.QueensLine: Kew Gardens senator blew whistle on Creedmoor abuse in’ 43District Attorney Charles F. Sullivan decided to present the attack and the circumstances surrounding it to a Queens grand jury. It would be the third time in eight years that a grand jury had looked into the affairs of Creedmoor. It was investigated in 1935 as the result of 15 violent deaths in 12 months and again in 1939 on reports that patients had been brutally beaten. Initial findings of the probe were that attendants at Creedmoor were making only $54 a month and that, out of the normal attendant staff of 500, there were 157 vacancies.Dishing with Dee: Gillibrand gives keynote speech at Dem group's 51st luncheonIt would seem the general consensus is that there is a serious health hazard due to the presence of lead in earth samples taken from under the Throgs Neck Bridge. There were piles of rubble and debris along the shoreline also containing toxic materials.Berger's Burg: This St. Patrick's Day partake of some authentic Irish cuisineSt. Patrick’s Day, with its shamrocks, leprechauns and the wearin’ of the green, river−dances in March 17. It is one of the oldest holidays observed in the United States. It began centuries ago in Ireland and was brought to this country by Irish immigrants in 1737. The fete is usually celebrated with a parade. The elaborate festivities in Dublin have become known as the “Irish Mardi Gras.”Rev. Flake backs out of Aqueduct dealThe Rev. Floyd Flake, the influential southeast Queens minister and former congressman, has withdrawn from the consortium of companies that comprise Aqueduct Entertainment Group, the winning bidder to develop and operate video lottery terminals at the Ozone Park track.Dolphin makes big splash in Newtown’s toxic watersFor the first time anyone can remember, a dolphin made waves in the polluted waters of Newtown Creek last week, creating a minor uproar as conservation groups attempted to prevent the animal from coming to further harm.Lines wrap around block as stores open in new mallQueens residents packed into the Rego Center shopping complex last week, forming lines that snaked around the Kohl’s and Century 21 stores shoppers praised for bringing hundreds of jobs to the borough.Sex harassment suit over CB 1 manager settledThe city has paid a $98,000 settlement to a former staff member at Astoria’s Community Board 1 who had filed a lawsuit that accused former district manager George Delis of sexually harassing her during her three-year stint at the board’s office, a spokeswoman for the city Law Department said.LIRR releases figures on cost to run trainsThe Long Island Rail Road has made public for the first time what a ride on the railroad actually costs and what portion is subsidized in a breakdown released in light of the MTA’s financial plight and plans for service cutbacks.Run for ed council seats: KleinParents interested in running for a seat on a city education council have until March 12 to nominate themselves, city Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said.Kew Gdns. man wins condom design contestAfter tallying more than 15,000 online ballots, the city Health Department revealed this week that Kew Gardens resident Luis Acosta’s design will appear on millions of free condoms throughout New York City.Irish pride shines in QueensThe luck of the Irish extended to Sunnyside Sunday, where participants and spectators of the 11th-annual St. Pat’s for All Parade were treated to warm temperatures down the parade route.LIC car dealer stole $1.2M in sales tax: DAA Long Island City car dealer has been arrested after allegedly bilking the state out of more than $1.2 million in sales tax, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Queens Library archives prepare to go digitalSome of the Queens Public Library’s historical pieces will be entering the 21st century soon as the nation’s largest library system launches an online collection of its oldest books, photos and periodicals this spring.Monserrate seat race nearsVoters in Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights are awash in mailers this week as former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate battles state Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) in a special election set for Tuesday.Bus, train users fume at MTAHundreds of testy Queens straphangers vented their anger at MTA officials for nearly six hours in Flushing last week, using words like “outrage,” “shame” and “disaster” in denouncing a plan to severely cut service on subways and buses.P.S.1 entrance plan draws CB 2 angerIt appears the wall between Long Island City’s P.S. 1 and Community Board 2 will not be crumbling any time soon.His Dream Carries OnWhat attracted Carl Clay to the theater world was not the lights and fanfare of the stage, but the creative energy that he felt when he wrote, directed and acted, the founder and executive director of the Black Spectrum Theatre Co. said.Boro mentally ill need more housing: JudgeA Brooklyn federal court judge has ruled that the state Health Department must provide 4,500 units of individual housing for the mentally ill living in group homes in Queens and other boroughs over the next three years.From banjo to easel, Woodside artist goes with the flowHis illustrations may have appeared on the editorial pages of several major newspapers and he may have briefly played his banjo with the rock band Weezer, but Woodside resident Johnny Coughlan never knows what he will take on next.Jobs bill could boost boro economy: MaloneyThe economy may be weak, but there are still employment and business opportunities, according to a town hall forum on jobs and the economy hosted Saturday by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria).Fund-raising begins for Hevesi, ZulunovaState Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) and the Democrat running against him in the primary, Lilianna Zulunova, have thrown themselves head first into their campaigns, with each holding fund-raisers last week and pounding the pavement to win support from district residents.Weiner touts jobs bill on Austin StreetFor Michael Jaye, a manager at Forest Hills’ New York Diamond Boutique, a $15 billion jobs bill passed by Congress has prompted him to hire two new people for his shop on Austin Street — a feat in an economy that has struck some locally owned Queens shops hard.Richmond Hill bursts into color with Phagwah feteHundreds of revelers descended on Smokey Oval Park Sunday, dousing each other with colorful powders, liquids and dyes in celebration of Phagwah, the Hindu rites of spring.Make the Road decries guv’s proposed ed cutsA nonprofit that provides services to immigrants and has offices in Queens would lose more than a quarter of their English language classes if Gov. David Paterson’s budget cuts are enacted, parents, students and activists said at a rally in Elmhurst last week.Ozone Park dad beat baby girl: DA BrownAn Ozone Park father was charged Saturday with brutally assaulting his infant daughter, who sustained 17 fractured ribs, a lacerated liver and a bite mark on her leg, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Borough on alert to fight sex traffickersNow that Queens has become a gateway for sex and human trafficking in part because of its two international airports, law enforcement, nonprofits and the media need to work in concert to combat the exploitation that happens just under borough residents’ noses, according to panelists at Queens Borough Hall last week.Price-fix scheme fleeced Con Ed customers: FedsA federal government investigation has found that a former owner of Astoria’s Ravenswood generators was involved in a price-fixing scheme that resulted in Con Edison customers being overcharged during a period of two years, a spokeswoman for the state Public Service Commission said.SE Queens should back guv: PolsAs embattled Gov. David Paterson faced new allegations of impropriety this week, two southeast Queens elected officials said the black community should stand by Paterson.Queens College professor a Pakistani rock starWhen Salman Ahmad stepped onto the stage at Queens College last week, he was promoting the same message that has long defined his career and vaulted him into stardom as one of Pakistan’s best-known rock stars who has sold more than 30 million albums — unity.Queens GOP heavies battle over leadershipThe rift between two warring factions of the Queens Republican Party just got deeper.Burglary spree hits MaspethResidents in northern Maspeth are dealing with a spate of burglaries near 73rd Street, civic leaders and police said last week.Queens Museum of Art to hold Earth Day eventMore than 150 Queens residents, government representatives and United Nations officials will gather March 20 at the Queens Museum of Art to celebrate International Earth Day with interfaith prayers, song and dance.Descendant recalls LIC biz’s historyNestled among the volumes of Long Island City’s industrial history is the story of one immigrant who made good on his dreams and built a family-owned pasta empire that lasted for nearly 70 years and of one descendant eager to keep the legacy alive in Queens. |
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