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Astoria Times > News Mark Holliday of SL Green talks about his company’s proposal for Aqueduct Race Track during a meeting with the Queens Chamber of Commerce last year. Photo by Christina Santucci A high-profile Democratic operative and lobbyist was giving free campaign advice to Gov. David Paterson at the same time he was hired to lobby Paterson on behalf of one of the losing bidders of the Aqueduct video lottery terminal contract.
Even as his legal team argues that the March 16 special election to fill his seat is invalid and unconstitutional, expelled state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) has mobilized his re-election campaign with the help of a bloc of churches in his district opposed to same-sex marriage.
Queens officials said Gov. David Paterson should resign if allegations he ordered members of his administration to pressure a woman into dropping her charges of domestic violence against one of the governor’s top aides prove true. ADVERTISEMENT
The Jackson Heights woman who allegedly defrauded more than three dozen immigrant families to the tune of over $300,000 has been ordered to repay the money and pay millions more in penalties, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday.
It has come to this: Pop-Tarts and Doritos have trumped homemade brownies as acceptable foods allowed to be sold at bake sales inside the city’s public schools.
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti Jan. 12 hit home for many New York City residents with roots in Haiti.
The TimesLedger Newspapers won two awards in Suburban Newspapers of America’s annual editorial contest for 2009.
The fate of a storied Jackson Heights commercial building emptied in recent months by rising rents is still in question nearly a month after the final hold-out, the beloved Cavalier Restaurant, closed its doors.
The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Chile over the weekend damaged homes and killed more than 700 people so far, but Chileans living in Queens said they were grateful it was not worse.
World War II hero Doris “Dorie” Miller has been honored by the military, Hollywood and the city that named a Corona co-op after him.
The Corona man who raped two women in 2007 and 2008 was sentenced last week to 23 years behind bars, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
Queens led New York City in deaths from seven diseases and other lethal causes in the latest statistical health snapshot of the city, but life expectancy in the five boroughs hit a new all-time high.
A Fresh Meadows man who allegedly hijacked his Kew Gardens girlfriend’s Facebook account and beat her while threatening to make sex tapes of them public will return to court next week, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
A Howard Beach church was broken into in a brazen burglary that netted two chalices worth $11,000, including one valued at $10,000 alone, police and a priest from the church said.
Police were on the lookout for a Forest Hills contractor who has been accused of filing documents with the city Department of Buildings that used forged seals of approval after he failed to show up for an August 2008 court date.
Queens legislators announced Tuesday they successfully negotiated with the city Department of Education to ensure officials will give zoned students first crack at the 350 seats expected to open this fall in Forest Hills’ Metropolitan High School.
Long after many shops shut their doors in the face of last week’s snowstorm, customers at one Kew Gardens restaurant thumbed their noses at the slippery streets and danced the night away at a fund-raiser for Haiti.
Western Queens residents and community leaders lined up outside Astoria’s 30th Avenue subway station Tuesday morning to protest the MTA’s decision to cut its W train service to the community.
Residents of Maspeth and Ridgewood were skeptical but not outright hostile toward the city School Construction Authority’s plan to build a 600-seat elementary school next to Grover Cleveland High School.
Queens poets, take note: The search for works that inspire borough residents of all ages and cultural backgrounds has begun.
Queens poets, take note: The search for works that inspire borough residents of all ages and cultural backgrounds has begun.
Misty May-Treanor is one of the top beach volleyball players in the world, but the Olympic gold medalist told St. John’s University she never feels like a superstar.
Queens College officials celebrated this week the completion of a $30 million renovation that brought 11 new labs and a three-floor mosaic of a nucleus collision to one of the main science buildings on campus.
Sunnyside is gearing up once more for the city’s gay-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Sunday.
ATMs were convenient but security cameras were not for a Michigan man and two Romanians busted by police last week on suspicion of installing electronics on a Woodside bank’s cash machines to steal customers’ information, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Taller buildings may be coming to Queens Boulevard as part of a proposed rezoning of Sunnyside and Woodside, but that would come in return for limited height for developments on residential side streets, city officials said.
Although state funding for the land acquisition is in doubt, a preservationist group has unveiled a new look for the former site of St. Saviour’s Church in Maspeth. Ongoing events and notices in your community
Previous Astoria Times HeadlinesMarch 4th, 2010 Flier informed voters of Friedrich’s views on hateApparently, Robert Friedrich and the Republicans feel bitter following their overwhelming rejection by the voters (“Friedrich urges CB 13 to denounce mailing,” Little Neck Ledger, Feb. 25). That may explain their complaints about a mailing aimed at exposing Friedrich’s opposition to stronger criminal penalties for hate crimes. So let me pose this question: Is a neo-Nazi who paints a swastika on a synagogue, a school or the car or home of a Jewish family the same as a child who tags a subway car?Americans should be more patrioticIt was certainly interesting and exciting in Flushing with all the celebrations for Chinese New Year. Isn’t it wonderful that people from all over the world can come to this great country and live the American Dream?Common saying often misquotedRegarding Alex Berger’s Feb. 18 TimesLedger Newspapers column “Money a very useful thing, but still the root of all evil,” the correct quote is “Greed is the root of all evil,” translated from the Latin “cupiditas radix malorum est.”Give city workers increases in payThis really takes the cake. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said teachers must only accept a 2 percent pay raise due to budgetary problems. This from a man who gave pay raises to his staff.Life after MonserrateOusted state Sen. Hiram Monserrate will not go quietly into the night. Having been removed by his fellow senators, the embattled politician has gathered the 5,500 signatures needed to get his name on the March 16 special election ballot.I Sit And Look Out: Negative effects on government can come from ethnic politicsJohn Sabini, a former City Councilman, was elected to the state Senate in 2002 and won re-election easily in 2004. In 2006, former Councilman Hiram Monserrate, better known as Senator Slash, challenged him and came within 200 votes of replacing him.Dishing with Dee: Boro GOP recognizes 2 heads of party pending court hearingJust whose ox is being gored here and why? You must have all noticed the proliferation of items in the newspapers about Mayor Michael Bloomberg giving money to the Independence Party and John and Bart Haggerty brothers.Political Action: Public meets GOP opponents who will challenge AckermanIn a recent discussion with Queens County Republican Party Chairman Phil Ragusa, he expressed an optimistic view for the immediate future.Berger's Burg: Berger family made good use out of old bed for many yearsSleep faster, we need the pillows. — Yiddish proverbElderly find memory aid in Forest HillsIt is hard for Dr. Bruce Brotter, chief operating officer at the Memory Training Center of America, to count the number of success stories.TimesLedger wins 2 awards in North American news contestThe TimesLedger Newspapers won two awards in Suburban Newspapers of America’s annual editorial contest for 2009.Boro Chileans calm in aftermath of quakeThe 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Chile over the weekend damaged homes and killed more than 700 people so far, but Chileans living in Queens said they were grateful it was not worse.Guv got advice from Aqueduct bidder lobbyistA high-profile Democratic operative and lobbyist was giving free campaign advice to Gov. David Paterson at the same time he was hired to lobby Paterson on behalf of one of the losing bidders of the Aqueduct video lottery terminal contract.Clergy give blessing to MonserrateEven as his legal team argues that the March 16 special election to fill his seat is invalid and unconstitutional, expelled state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) has mobilized his re-election campaign with the help of a bloc of churches in his district opposed to same-sex marriage.Queens man charged in Facebook spatA Fresh Meadows man who allegedly hijacked his Kew Gardens girlfriend’s Facebook account and beat her while threatening to make sex tapes of them public will return to court next week, the Queens district attorney’s office said.Corona rapist to spend decades in jail: BrownThe Corona man who raped two women in 2007 and 2008 was sentenced last week to 23 years behind bars, the Queens district attorney’s office said.$10K chalice stolen from St. Helen’sA Howard Beach church was broken into in a brazen burglary that netted two chalices worth $11,000, including one valued at $10,000 alone, police and a priest from the church said.Trust negotiates to sell Cavalier building siteThe fate of a storied Jackson Heights commercial building emptied in recent months by rising rents is still in question nearly a month after the final hold-out, the beloved Cavalier Restaurant, closed its doors.Boro has most deaths in city from diseases: StudyQueens led New York City in deaths from seven diseases and other lethal causes in the latest statistical health snapshot of the city, but life expectancy in the five boroughs hit a new all-time high.Corona co-op’s dream of Dorie Miller stamp comes trueWorld War II hero Doris “Dorie” Miller has been honored by the military, Hollywood and the city that named a Corona co-op after him.Scammers arrested for skimming: DAATMs were convenient but security cameras were not for a Michigan man and two Romanians busted by police last week on suspicion of installing electronics on a Woodside bank’s cash machines to steal customers’ information, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Queens pols grim about governor’s futureQueens officials said Gov. David Paterson should resign if allegations he ordered members of his administration to pressure a woman into dropping her charges of domestic violence against one of the governor’s top aides prove true.Forest Hills contractor filed fake papers: DAPolice were on the lookout for a Forest Hills contractor who has been accused of filing documents with the city Department of Buildings that used forged seals of approval after he failed to show up for an August 2008 court date.Queens College upgrades labsQueens College officials celebrated this week the completion of a $30 million renovation that brought 11 new labs and a three-floor mosaic of a nucleus collision to one of the main science buildings on campus.St. John’s student plans help for HaitiThe 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti Jan. 12 hit home for many New York City residents with roots in Haiti.Court orders Jax. Hts. woman to pay restitution to immigrantsThe Jackson Heights woman who allegedly defrauded more than three dozen immigrant families to the tune of over $300,000 has been ordered to repay the money and pay millions more in penalties, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday.St. Patrick’s Day arrives early for Queens celebratorsSunnyside is gearing up once more for the city’s gay-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Sunday.CB 5 members question city’s school plansResidents of Maspeth and Ridgewood were skeptical but not outright hostile toward the city School Construction Authority’s plan to build a 600-seat elementary school next to Grover Cleveland High School.City presents Woodside, Sunnyside rezoning proposalTaller buildings may be coming to Queens Boulevard as part of a proposed rezoning of Sunnyside and Woodside, but that would come in return for limited height for developments on residential side streets, city officials said.City passes Pop Tarts, flunks brownies as school snacksIt has come to this: Pop-Tarts and Doritos have trumped homemade brownies as acceptable foods allowed to be sold at bake sales inside the city’s public schools.Party raises Haiti relief cashLong after many shops shut their doors in the face of last week’s snowstorm, customers at one Kew Gardens restaurant thumbed their noses at the slippery streets and danced the night away at a fund-raiser for Haiti.Preservationists present plans for St. Saviour’s siteAlthough state funding for the land acquisition is in doubt, a preservationist group has unveiled a new look for the former site of St. Saviour’s Church in Maspeth.Forest Hills HS will give zoned students first dibsQueens legislators announced Tuesday they successfully negotiated with the city Department of Education to ensure officials will give zoned students first crack at the 350 seats expected to open this fall in Forest Hills’ Metropolitan High School.Olympian speaks at SJU about breaking into volleyballMisty May-Treanor is one of the top beach volleyball players in the world, but the Olympic gold medalist told St. John’s University she never feels like a superstar.Queens seeks new candidates to be borough’s poet laureateQueens poets, take note: The search for works that inspire borough residents of all ages and cultural backgrounds has begun.Astoria straphangers want their WWestern Queens residents and community leaders lined up outside Astoria’s 30th Avenue subway station Tuesday morning to protest the MTA’s decision to cut its W train service to the community.From the Footlighs: Born into ‘Brothers’Their family history is the stuff of a folksy and surreal novel you don’t quite believe but can’t put down. And never forget.Albany must pass domestic abuse billI applaud TimesLedger Newspapers for highlighting an important bill sponsored by state Sens. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose), Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) and Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) after the recent murder of a woman allegedly by her stalker despite having an order of protection against him.February 27th, 2010 City to include ambulance corps on 911After catching flak from elected officials, including City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), the city has agreed to repeal a policy change that excluded volunteer ambulance corps from the 911 dispatch system.February 25th, 2010 BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Corona co-op to honor first black man to win Navy CrossThe first black man to win the Navy Cross was born in Waco, Texas, and probably never set foot in Queens. And yet the figure of Doris “Dorie” Miller looms large on black history in the borough.Meeks says AEG scrutiny is unfairU.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) said two figures who were part of the group selected to operate and install 4,500 video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Race Track — Darryl Greene and the Rev. Floyd Flake — were being unfairly scrutinized in the media for their involvement with the consortium.Protest DOE for decision to close schoolsA recent travesty regarding the city Department of Education is its decision to close 19 schools. This will affect students, teachers and staff at each of these places. It is incomprehensible that city Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and his committee could vote to do this.Halloran should challenge Ackerman for CongressRecently I attended a Tea Party event focused on interviewing candidates to take on U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) in the Fifth Congressional District.Shed light on MTA's holdingsI read TimesLedger Newspapers’ article about Gov. David Patterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg fighting about helping the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“Bloomy rips guv’s plan to help MTA,” Feb. 11), which is a sore issue with me these days mostly because I believe the MTA has been wasting money for years and is holding on to real estate that generates no income.Klein, mayor didn't hear public on school closingsYour Feb. 4-10 editorial was right on the money: “Chancellor Klein Goes to School.” Yes he did, but he did not learn anything. Nor has he learned anything from the students, parents and different community organizations who say he is wrong in his approach to the education of children.'Very Poor Taste'We have known Corey Bearak for a long time. He has been a dedicated community activist involved in countless civic battles. We have not always agreed with him, but we have never doubted the sincerity of his commitment to the people who live in this borough,Berger's Burg: Winter weather lowers moods, but spring just 'round cornerTake Winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow, with no nonsense in him, and tolerating none in you, which is a great comfort in the long run. — James Russell LowellQueensLine: Boro suffered through heavy snow, rain storms in 1920sIn February 1926, former Borough Presidents Maurice Connolly of Queens and Julius Miller of Manhattan sent a letter to the city Board of Estimate proposing an East River tunnel to relieve congestion on the Queensboro Bridge, which at that time was only 17 years old.Let the day melt away at Glendale eateryQueens might be referred to as a melting pot of ethnicities and nationalities, but those craving actual melting pots might best head to Glendale, where Simply Fondue offers an array of tempting, European-style dinners at the Shops at Atlas Park.Rego Park shopping complex to bring in new jobsRego Center’s opening slated for March is a welcome relief in a city with a 10.6 percent unemployment rate, Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio said, despite lingering concerns community members have about an increase of traffic from the new shopping hub.Monserrate fights to regain lost Senate positionOusted state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) has filed petition signatures for the special election for his seat and appealed a federal court ruling last week that declined to interfere with the vote expelling him from the Senate.Husband killed wife, hid body in park: DANearly two years after his wife’s dismembered body was found in a suitcase in Forest Park, a former Woodhaven man has been charged with her murder, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Women’s group to hold talk on sex traffickingThe Center for the Women of New York is helping to present a conference on sex trafficking at Queens Borough Hall March 2.City issues plans for KosciuszkoThe state Department of Transportation unveiled four potential designs last week for the reconstruction of the Kosciuszko Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Maspeth, and the project’s manager said work at the site could begin by 2014.BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Bayside students land scholarshipsQueens Borough President Helen Marshall honored six borough students with scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 at an annual awards reception in Corona which celebrates African-American heritage.Bayside bar owner held in double murderA Bayside bar owner from Richmond Hill was charged Saturday in the murders of a Howard Beach man and an Ozone Park resident in a northern New Jersey town in killings that are believed to be drug-related, the Bergen County prosecutor’s office said.Rego Pk. family return to home after March fireAlmost one year after a fire destroyed the Zeltser family’s Rego Park home, their lives are finally returning to normal.DNA nabs suspect in Kew Gardens rapeA Woodhaven man who was convicted of petit larceny in November has been charged with raping an 11-year-old Woodhaven girl and a 19-year-old woman in Kew Gardens based on DNA samples he was ordered to give because of his conviction, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said last Thursday.City to include ambulance corps on 911After catching flak from elected officials, including City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), the city has agreed to repeal a policy change that excluded volunteer ambulance corps from the 911 dispatch system.CB 1 OKs rezoning planA massive plan to rezone sections of Astoria for the first time in 49 years moved one step further last week as Community Board 1 approved the project, which will limit building heights in the neighborhood and allow for commercial development.Bid revision put AEG on topAqueduct Entertainment Group, which was awarded the controversial contract to install and operate 4,500 video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, was in last place out of five bidders in terms of how much revenue the machines would generate for the state until it changed its projections three months later and was catapulted into first place.Lunar New Year roars in with Flushing parade on Main StreetThe streets of Flushing were strewn with confetti and filled with music last weekend as thousands of borough residents lined up along Main Street to watch the Flushing Lunar Parade, which celebrated the Year of the Tiger.Queens leads city in statewide health studyQueens leads the city in a health study that reports that the borough has the fewest smokers in the city but the highest percentage of people without health insurance.Boro teen faces 25 yrs. for assault in FlushingA Woodhaven teen who is a member of the ferocious MS-13 gang was convicted last week of gang assault and other charges in the 2007 attack on a 19-year-old outside of a Laundromat and deli in Flushing, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Bathroom break costs Astorian his vendor licenseAn Astoria man has the dubious distinction of being the first street vendor in the city to lose his permit for leaving his cart to go to the bathroom under a new citywide policy.MidVil drunk driver jailed for up to 15 yearsThe drunk driver who mowed down a 16-year-old Middle Village teen and his friend in a stolen car a year ago has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for killing them, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Ex-Flushing man pleads guilty to NYC subway bombing plotNajibullah Zazi pleaded guilty Monday to plotting with al-Qaeda associates to carry out a string of bombings in the New York City subway system within days of Sept. 11, 2009.Remembering the fight for justice in Little RockThe Little Rock Nine are drawing Social Security now, more than a half century after they made worldwide news by trying to go to school — in this case, Central High School.MTA slammed at LIC meeting for work on 7 trainHalf a decade of pent-up commuter frustration poured out on a group of MTA officials who came to Long Island City last week at the request of City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) to hear the community’s complaints about weekend repair work on the No. 7 subway line.Biz summit brings green thinkers to QueensEco-friendly technology and policies are making their way into Queens and the rest of the city, but legal conundrums are hot on their heels, experts told entrepreneurs at the second annual Queens Green Business Summit last week.Astoria tenant killed while leaving homePolice said they were searching for suspects in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old Astoria man who was killed while in the process of moving out of his apartment.Boro school pushes fieldworkThe Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School slated to open in Forest Hills this fall will be the first of its kind in Queens.Pilot project brings security cameras to E trainsSome may say “it’s about time” and others might see it as Orwellian, but regardless cameras are now recording everything in some subway cars of the E train.Cardozo HS student, family slainThose who knew the Bailey family said they remembered the Rosedale clan as a happy group with no apparent problems, so when they were discovered Monday killed in an apparent murder-suicide enacted by the family’s patriarch, relatives said they were shocked and horrified.Brush with imaginationIf artists obtain inspiration for their work from the world around them, then Jackson Heights painter Leontine Greenberg is influenced by a universe of art. |
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