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.
After an increasingly bitter special election race, the embattled former state senator who was expelled from his office by the Senate was defeated in a landslide victory for Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights).
With 95 percent of the ballots counted, Peralta had taken 66 percent of the votes, Monserrate trailed with 27 percent and Republican candidate Robert Beltrani took in 7 percent, the city Board of Elections said. Total votes added up to nearly 15,000, three times the 4,800 votes cast in the special election Julissa Ferreras won to replace Monserrate in the City Council in 2009 and double the turnout last month in the special election for the northeast Queen...
9:13 am
Teen stabbed in Newtown HS
Police have arrested a 16-year-old Woodhaven student who attends Elmhurst’s Newtown High School after he allegedly stabbed another teenager during school last week, the Queens district attorney said.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTVantage tenants to wait months for settlements
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDT
Memory of Triangle Shirtwaist fire lives on in Queens
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTEx-cop Castro wins lawsuit
The ex-police sergeant and former chief of staff for Hiram Monserrate during his City Council days has won his civil case against the city after a jury found the city had discriminated against him by excluding him from the Sanitation Department’s hiring process.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTMayor urges boro to fill out Census forms
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTHevesi staffer pleads in pension fund case
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTState criticizes AEG biz practices
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTBudget ax threatens county senior centers
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTQueens pols high-five Ravitch's budget
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTFormer sex slave details life at Kew Gardens event
During her teenage years, Somaly Mam said she had to live through the toughest hell as a sex slave in a Cambodian brothel.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTCon Edison to dole out $7.9M for green projects
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTFederal court upholds Monserrate expulsion
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTERDA brings free tax prep to western Queens
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTRosasco joins GOP with dramatic gesture
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTGoing Green in Queens offers pruning workshop
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTSt. John's workers offered buyouts
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTCorona man admits to owning child porn
A Bronx man has admitted to possessing child pornography after being arrested last year on charges he was impersonating an enforcement agent outside a karaoke club in Corona, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTCrowley slams city for proposals to cut up to 42 firehouses
The first hearing is out of the way, but the City Council Fire and Criminal Justice Committee, headed by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), is no closer to learning which engine companies the city has on the chopping block amid looming budget cuts.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTQueens College hosts Def Jam founder, renowned rabbi
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTSubway rider advocates report deteriorating weekend service
Weekend subway service keeps getting worse, according to a new report by a transit advocacy agency.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTWestern Queens Bulletin Board
Ongoing events and notices in your community
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:47 PM EDT
Business (top)
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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTLebanese eatery opens in Greek Astoria
Astoria 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.
Friday, March 19, 2010 2:14 PM EDTColumnists (top)
Berger's Burg: Spring cleaning has nothing on having to paint the house
E.B., add painting to your list.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTDishing with Dee: Issue of boro GOP leadership continues to remain unclear
Of 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTOur History: Bayside's 'Gentleman Jim' left boxing for acting career
Though 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTPolitical Action: Primaries often prove damaging to Queens Dem candidates
In 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTEditorials (top)
'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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTLetters (top)
Do not combine two boro bus routes
This 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTInterstate buses must have seat belts
As 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTLet state conduct better traffic study
On 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTDiscount factory outlets offer more torture than fun for Dad
Just 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTBloomberg, Klein must stop running schools like businesses
City 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDTRaw data can be misleading in report on Queens' health
As 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDTMTA must not eliminate the student MetroCard pass
For 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.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:14 AM EDT
Previous Jackson Heights Times Headlines
March 18th, 2010
The ex-police sergeant and former chief of staff for Hiram Monserrate during his City Council days has won his civil case against the city after a jury found the city had discriminated against him by excluding him from the Sanitation Department’s hiring process. The first hearing is out of the way, but the City Council Fire and Criminal Justice Committee, headed by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), is no closer to learning which engine companies the city has on the chopping block amid looming budget cuts. A Bronx man has admitted to possessing child pornography after being arrested last year on charges he was impersonating an enforcement agent outside a karaoke club in Corona, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
