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Volume 14 Issue No. 33 Aug. 16-22, 2013

Online at www.QueensPress.com

GRADES GRIEF

City schools get bad marks on new statewide Common Core test. By Natalia Kozikowska. Bill Thompson calls for stronger schools citywide. See page 8.

Online at www.QueensPress.com

City schools get bad marks on new statewide Common Core test. By Natalia Kozikowska. Bill Thompson calls for stronger schools

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News Briefs

Donovan Heslop

SEQ Leader Bruce Brice Passes

Earlier this week, Bruce Brice, a long-time advocate, organizer and leader in Southeast Queens passed away.

For decades, Bruce A. Brice has been a wise, influential, and sup-portive voice throughout Southeast Queens. Whether by being a mem-ber of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the Robert Couche Senior Citizens Center or through the United Black Men of Queens, Bruces knowledge and opinion were always valued be-cause everyone knew how dedicated he was to helping people in our com-munity, Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said in a statement.

When the redistricting process took place 1979, Brice played a major role in creating additional minority-majority State Senate and Assembly districts, ensuring people of color would have a representa-tive who could speak for them in Albany.

He worked with many representa-tives such as Assemblywomen Cyn-thia Jenkins and State Sen. Andrew Jenkins, where he advocated for safer streets, education and the youth.

For years, Brice worked as an auditor for the State of New York making sure taxpayer money was being spent wisely and was going to worthy causes that helped people through-out the State.

No matter what Bruce did, he was always fully dedicated to it, which helped him make a lasting and positive impact on peoples lives, Comrie added. He is survived by his wife Beverly, whom my thoughts

and prayers are with at this difficult time.

Teen Sexually Assaults Toddler in McDonalds

Last week, a 14-year-old was bust-ed for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl in the play area of a Jamaica Mc-Donalds.

The troubled teen was placed into City custody after a family court judge said he posed a danger to his younger sister at home.

According to reports, the sus-pect, whose name was not released because he is a minor, tried to force himself onto the little girl inside a tubular play structure at the McDon-alds restaurant located on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica.

Prosecutors believe the teen may be linked to a similar incident in March involving a 9-year-old who claimed she was touched by a stranger.

He is due to appear in family court on Friday, Aug. 16.

Hollis Boy Goes MissingPolice are still searching for a 12-

year-old boy who went missing from his Hollis home last week.

Donovan Heslop was last seen at his home on 104th Avenue in Hollis. He is described at 5 feet tall, weighing about 120 pounds.

Anyone with infor-mation was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also sub-

mit tips by logging on to the Crime Stoppers website at nypdcrimestop-pers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All tips are anonymous.

Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens Aug. 16-22, 2013

Aug. 16-22, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

Presstime

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

On Monday, a Manhattan federal judge ruled that the New York Police Departments Stop and Frisk policy violated the rights of New Yorkers and called for an independent moni-tor to watch over the police.

According to U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin, the policy has been systematically and unfairly targeting minorities, violating their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures and their 14th Amendment rights, which guarantee equal protection.

Scheindlin has plans to install attor-ney and former Manhattan prosecutor, Peter Zimroth, to ensure the NYPD will comply with her new ruling. She added that the decision does not call for an end to the controversial policy, but rather a dire need for reform.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has since blasted the judges ruling, claiming that the Stop and Frisk pol-icy has saved countless lives and Scheindlin ignored the real-world realities of crime. He vowed to ap-peal the dangerous decision.

As guns continue to flow onto our

streets from other states, we have to take every constitutionally protected step at our disposal to keep them out and to keep them from being used to kill innocent people, Bloomberg said in a statement. Throughout the trial that just concluded, the judge made it clear she was not at all inter-ested in the crime reductions here or how we achieved them.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly echoed similar sentiments, dismiss-ing accusations that the crime-fight-ing tactic leads to racial profiling.

What I find most disturbing and offensive about this decision is the notion that the NYPD engages in ra-cial profiling. That simply is reckless-ly untrue, Kelly said in a statement. We train our officers that they need reasonable suspicion to make a stop and I can assure you that race is nev-er a reason to conduct a stop.

Although the court decision was met with fierce skepticism by Bloomberg and Kelly, a majority of mayoral candidates seemed to be in favor of the ruling.

The judges call for reforms must be heeded, and longer term the tactic should be abolished. Its time

Judge Rules Stop And Frisk Unconstitutionalto put an end to Stop and Frisk once and for all, said City Comptroller John Liu in a statement.

Liu has been the only candidate to argue the policy needs to be ridded entirely.

The present Stop and Frisk policy violates the constitutional rights of all New Yorkers, but espe-cially innocent Blacks and Latinos, Bill Thompson said in a statement. Instead of treating our police and people with respect, the Mayor and Commissioner Kelly have imposed what are effectively quotas on the police and treated entire minority communities with suspicion.

The overuse and misuse of Stop and Frisk hasnt made New York a safer City, it has only served to drive police and community further apart, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said in a statement. The only way to end the abuse of Stop and Frisk in New York City is with real reform.

We do not need to sacrifice our civil rights to live in a safe city. You can reduce crime while increasing respect, Anthony Weiner said in a statement.

Sal Albanese, a self-proclaimed independent candidate, took a safer

approach, claiming Stop and Frisk is a legal police tool that keeps the City safe only when it is used properly.

There was never any doubt that the City was casting too wide of a net and focusing on quantity rather than quality when numbers peaked in 2011, Alba-nese said in a statement. Since then, the NYPD has moved in the right di-rection by training officers better and reducing unnecessary stops. This rul-ing will accelerate that process.

Although the landmark decision generated mixed feelings, Laurelton attorney Jacques Leandre, whose law office has seen close to 100 clients who have been searched and not given a summons, said the ruling is a victory for the minority community which account for more than 80 percent of stops.

I dont believe that Stop and Frisk is on its way to a death but I think that racial profiling has taken a huge blow, Leandre said. Discrimi-natory practices have taken a huge blow when it comes to policing the communities of color.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska.

BY LUIS GRONdA

Residents looking to spend their cash at the casino now have a more convenient way of traveling there.

The Aqueduct Racetrack subway station will now be open 24-hours-a-day for commuters taking public transportation to Resorts World Ca-sino. Trains traveling from the Rock-aways, going towards Manhattan, will now make daily stops at the Aq-ueduct station. Commuters traveling

in the other direction will have to get off at the Aqueduct-North Conduit stop and transfer over to a Manhat-tan-bound A train.

The now full-time train station coincides with the completion of the $15 million Resorts World Sky-Bridge, an indoor platform that con-nects the train station with the ca-sino. The completion of the bridge, which has been in the works since before Resorts World opened almost two years ago, allowed for the train

station to be opened full time. At a Tuesday morning press con-

ference to commemorate the two events, Ed Farrell, the president of Resorts World Casino, said strap-hangers will be able to get to the facility quicker because of the new additions.

We have about 12 million people a year visiting Resorts World and many of them will have a much easier time getting here, said Farrell, who was named president last month, taking

over for Michael Speller, who has held that title since the racinos inception.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Ozone Park) and Betty Braton, chairwoman of Com-munity Board 10, all lavished praise on Resorts World for renovating the subway station and building the Sky-Bridge.

In tough times, we look for eco-nomic partners who are going to commit to ensure that the money that is raised is put right back into the economy. Resorts World has done that time and time again, Goldfeder said.

By working with the MTA to make this safe and clean subway con-nection a reality, once again, Resorts World has demonstrated its ability to deliver on promises made and were quite pleased its been done in a way that serves the community as well as casino patrons, Braton said.

Farrell said that they have been in discussion with the MTA about renaming the train station after Re-sorts World and they hope to have that done in the near future.

Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127, [email protected], or @luisgronda.

Aqueduct Subway Station Now Open 24 Hours

With one month left before Primary Day, State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) announced late Wednesday that he was dropping his bid for Queens Borough Presi-dent.

Avella, who lagged behind top contenders Melinda Katz and Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) in support and money, said in a statement that the deci-sion was a difficult one.

Queens is my home borough and I will never stop fighting

Avella drops Out Of Beep Raceand advocating for all residents of Queens, he said. Yet, at this time, I believe I can best serve the people of Queens by remaining a State Sena-tor.

The State Senator noted that he hopes to take more of a leadership role in Albany addressing issues rang-ing from hydrofracking to preserving womens rights.

Earlier in the week, another for-mer Borough President contender announced his support in the race.

Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-

St. Albans), who dropped out last month, threw his support behind Katz in an email sent out Monday night.

Melinda has the vision and de-termination to transform Queens into a more vibrant destination, while maintaining her dedication to preserving a quality of life, Comrie said. Melinda has a prov-en track record of advocating for better schools, the creation of af-fordable and senior housing and better jobs.



On Aug. 12, Holliswood Hos-pital in Jamaica became the sixth hospital in Queens to close its doors in the last decade.

According to Gay Hartigan, a member of the hospital board, the 127-bed private psychiatric hospi-tal will close due to recent finan-cial struggles. She confirmed that Holliswood has already begun to discharge patients and within the next two weeks, the hospital is expected to be permanently shut down.

I definitely think its a loss for the community especially for the behavioral healthcare commu-nity, Hartigan said. There has been a large number of general hospitals closing and I dont know what could have been done [to save the hospi-tal]. Its a difficult time for health-care. A lot has changed throughout the State and country.

According to Hartigan, Hollis-wood Hospital, located at 87-37 Pal-ermo St., began to see its first signs of financial troubles in March/April of last year when a payer had gone bankrupt a significant loss in fund-ing for the facility.

In an attempt to prevent a closure, the hospital officials began to negoti-ate with PSCH, a local nonprofit with a similar mission to help individu-als with mental health disabilities. Hartigan said that PSCH expressed interest in acquiring Holliswood and offered to provide interim financing before the acquisition.

But the deal soon fell apart.We were sort of going down the

road with that financing deal and the acquisition for the last few months and then in July, we were notified

that it was not going to occur that they were not able to secure interim financing and they were not going to be able to acquire the hospital, she said.

The two parties were unable to reach an agreement and without the interim funding, Holliswood could not afford to keep its doors open.

Currently, Holliswood serves 41 patients of all different ages and psy-chological disorders. Hartigan added that the hospital staff is working closely with all patients and family

members to make sure everybody is triaged into the appropriate lev-el of care. Most patients will be placed in the communities they came from.

The impending closure, how-ever, does not only affect the 41 patients receiving psychiatric care at the facility. Approximately 375 employees, including a number of nurses, pharmacists and psycholo-gists, must also leave.

Many will be left searching for new jobs, but Hartigan said that some of Holliswoods employees have already begun to secure em-ployment.

We had a number of agencies come into the building over the

last few days doing recruitment, she said. A number of people have had job offers and then the union has been very helpful in terms of their job security fund.

Holliswood joins Peninsula, St. Josephs, Mary Immaculate, St. Johns and Parkway on the long list of hospitals that have closed in Queens within the last 10 years.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikows-ka at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska.

Holliswood Hospital in Jamaica became the sixth hospital in Queens to close this past decade.

Holliswood Hospital To Permanently Close



Library patrons from all across the Borough will soon be able to read their favorite books while sip-ping on some freshly-brewed coffee and snacking on their favorite baked goods.

Last week, Queens Library an-nounced that its Central Branch in Jamaica will be the first branch to welcome a caf, fully equipped with sandwiches, muffins and of course, coffee.

We are hoping to bring a fuller customer service experience, Joanne King, communications director for Queens Library, said. The role of a library has evolved into more than a place for education and information. The library is a destination as well and we want people to feel comfort-able during their time here.

Queens Central Library, which is undergoing a $9.8 million renova-tion, has increased its efforts to mod-ernize the 47-year-old building. The caf is just one of many renovations the Central Branch is expected to see completed within the next two years.

According to King, the multi-million dollar project was funded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall,

the Queens Delegation to the City Council, the State of New York and Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-Ja-maica).

Once this expansion is com-plete, a 24-hour self-check-in kiosk will be in place at the exterior of the building and the plaza will have new furniture, f looring and light-

Central Library To Get First-Ever Cafing. In addition, the entire front of the entry will be redesigned to make it more visually appealing to booklovers.

As libraries continue to play a sig-nificant role in Jamaica and through-out the Borough, I am pleased to have worked to convince the Queens Delegation to provide funding to help

make these renovations possible, and would like to thank my colleagues in government and the Queens Library for their efforts, Comrie said in an emailed statement.



Earlier this week, Jamaica Hospi-tal became the only hospital in New York City to offer bronchial thermo-plasty a recently FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedure to treat severe asthma in adults.

Bronchial thermoplasty is unique. It is the first time asthma is being treated in a physical way, Dr. Craig Thurm, director of Jamaica Hospitals division of pulmonary medicine, said in a statement. Pre-viously, patients with severe asthma could only rely on medications such as high dose inhaled steroids, bron-chodilators and xolair.

According to the Centers for Dis-ease Control, one in 12 people suffer from asthma. There were 1.3 million

Jamaica Hospital Treats Asthmaasthma-related hospital visits to out-patient departments and 1.8 million emergency department visits for asthma in 2010 in the United States.

When individuals suffer from an asthma attack, the airways to their lungs begin to narrow. Bronchial ther-moplasty uses thermal energy to per-manently heat and shrink thickened muscle that surrounds a patients air-ways. It is the first non-drug treatment to treat the condition in adults.

The procedure comprises three different sessions, scheduled three weeks apart. The first and second ses-sions treat the lower lobes of lungs, while the third session treats the upper lobes, Thurm explained. Bronchial thermoplasty is offered to individuals with severe asthma, who are at least 18 years old and whose asthma is not well

controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta agonists.

While bronchial thermoplasty is not likely to cure asthma, it works as a complement to other types of therapies and treatments.

Studies have shown that bron-chial thermoplasty can reduce asthma symptoms and asthma attacks, as well as emergency room visits, hospitaliza-tions, and days lost from work and school, Thurm said. We are truly ex-cited to offer bronchial thermoplasty to patients who can benefit from it.

For more information about bron-chial thermoplasty at Jamaica Hospital, call (718) 206-8776 or (718) 206-7130.



OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

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email [email protected] PRESS of Southeast Queens

Editor-in-Chief:Steven J. Ferrari

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Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters: Natalia Kozikowska

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Advertising ExecutivesMerlene Carnegie

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A Queens Tribune Publica-tion Copyright 2013

Tribco, LLC

Michael Nussbaum Publisher

Ria McPhersonComptroller

LettersEditorial

Letters

It has become a common theme in this space to decry the corruption real or perceived that has besmirched too many elected officials from Southeast Queens. But the cause is a just one. We need these officials to speak for us and fight for us, instead of lining the pockets of their own best interests.

Over the last few months, several elected officials have been arrested, but some of our more problematic representatives remain in office despite investigations and other questionable decisions. It is the responsibility of voters to make these changes come Election Day.

Last year, amid a state investigation into $33,000 in member items to a nonprofit organization where he served on the board of directors, Councilman Ruben Wills was stripped of his abil-ity to allocate funds, and he was also removed from a budget negotiating team. Before his election to the City Council, Wills served as chief of staff to former State Sen. Shirley Huntley, who was indicted on fraud charges last year and was later sen-tenced to jail time.

Good government goes with good elected officials, rep-resentatives who follow the rules and do not break the law. Southeast Queens deserves better than a councilman who has had his authority to govern taken away. The only way to ensure you have responsible representation in government is to make smart choices at the ballot box.

Time For Smart Choices

A Personal PerspectiveBy MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

This is one of the most unpredictable election seasons we have seen in New York City in a long time.

Of the five most viable candidates vying to be the next mayor of New York, Christine Quinn and Anthony Weiner were the two battling it out for the two top spots. They were fluctuating until Weiners latest scandal tabled him. But this week, someone who was lagging behind the entire season has suddenly risen to the top.

Bill de Blasios campaign had not garnered that much support in the past. He had consistently traded number three and number four back and forth with William C. Thompson. Now he has finally pulled away decisively as An-thony Weiner imploded.

Never underestimate de Blasio. One of my colleagues calls him the sleeping giant and warned us not to take his candidacy for granted. That

assessment has come to life as de Blasio is no longer compet-ing with Thompson for second place. He is now leader of the pack, even beating out former frontrunner Quinn.

We are less than four weeks from the Sept. 10 Primary Elec-tion, and its anyones guess as to who will enter that day as the frontrunner.

De Blasio must surely know that his new frontrunner status could be fleeting. Hes seen it happen to Quinn, then Weiner, then Quinn again. The polls are fickle, so we cannot be sure of anything until results start trickling in.

Of one thing we can be fairly certain though, you can stick a fork in Weiner, hes cooked. The second revelations of his sexting activities have ruined his second chance at making a first impression. Impressively, however, hes still getting sup-port, even beating out City Comptroller John Liu at 10 percent compared to Lius six percent.

Should Quinn recapture the lead and win the Primary, she would be the first council

speaker to do so. Her two pre-decessors with the title, Peter Vallone Sr. and Gifford Miller both failed to do that. Quinns opponents are beating her up with the Bloomberg stick.

Thompson, for his part will have to compete most with de Blasio. Officially, Thompson is seen as the only Black can-didate in the race. But heres the catch, hes now competing with a Jackson 5 type fro on the head of de Blasios teen-aged son, Dante.

The younger de Blasio has become his fathers best spokesperson via an impressive TV ad. And when Dante men-tions how his father will look out for people of color, he has credibility, because he is a person of color courtesy of his Black mother, de Blasios wife. He also has much cred-ibility when he mentions how his dad will end Stop and Frisk, because in this kid with the brown skin and towering afro, you see someone who could easily be a victim of that very practice. Good thing a judge just declared it unconstitution-al, though proponents promise

to appeal that decision.Now the fun part of this

election is that only in New York can a white candidate be competing with a Black candidate for Black votes because the white candidate has a Black family. Whew! Ya gotta love it!

A generation ago this would not have been possible. The City was still white enough that it would not have sold. It speaks to the increased diversity of our city and how liberal New York has become.

Although Thompson is a man of color, he is past the age where police will likely see him as an automatic suspect. Thompson also doesnt seem to have a teen son to make the anti-stop and frisk point as pow-erfully as the de Blasio kid.

However, the ex-comptroller has great experience that would make him a good mayor. He has an impressive mix of public and corporate experience that would benefit our city. In fact, only he and Liu have worked in finance in addition to their public service.

It all bodes well for us.

De Blasio Gives Thompson A Run For The Money

Lower The MusicTo The Editor:

My biggest beef is loud

music. I live in South Ozone Park, Queens. In the past 10 years, the neighborhood has

changed drastically. We have people that think its alright to play their music so loud, you can hear it four blocks away. We cant call the pre-cinct directly, we have to call 311. The captain at the 106th is very helpful, but I think this is more than he can handle.

The Mayor talks about qual-ity of life. In this part of Queens we dont seem to have one. I know for a fact that they cant do this on the Island. Why is it tolerated here? I know in other states you can get locked up for continually playing loud music. Some of my neighbors dont call and report this, because they are afraid. So they suffer in silence. Thats no way to live. Something needs to be done about this. We need help!

Olga Addison,South Ozone Park

Say No To CasinosTo The Editor:

Repeating often enough that New Yorkers will prosper from casinos might cause some people to believe it.

What it wont do is address the damage state-sponsored

casino gambling causes for our neighbors. I dont just mean neighbors afflicted with gam-bling disorders, estimated to be more than 500,000 state resi-dents, excluding adolescents. I also mean their children and spouses, their friends and business partners, and anyone bearing consequences foisted upon them by out of control gamblers. And it wont change the casino business model being promoted by our state government, one that preys upon the minority of gamblers with gambling disorders for an estimated 50 percent of ca-sino revenues. If that business model strikes you as unworthy of taxpayer support, then vote NO in November to expand casino gambling.

And if it troubles you that in spite of the cheerleading to ex-pand casino gambling, we still dont have an accounting for whats now estimated to be a $3.7 billion annual tab for New Yorks gambling problem, you should vote NO in November to expand casino gambling.

Dave Colavito,Rock Hill




The number of New York students who passed the rigorous and newly adopted Common Core math and reading exams has taken a dramatic plunge this year, further fueling the discussion for education reform among mayoral candidates.

In New York City, just 26.4 per-cent of students in grades three through eight passed the English test and 29.6 percent passed in math, ac-cording to a report released by the New York State Education Depart-ment last Wednesday. These numbers dropped from 47 percent in English and 60 percent in math last year.

For many educators and school officials, the result is no shock given the new and tougher standards un-der the Common Core curriculum which have been changed to include more critical thinking elements to better prepare students for college.

Former City Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson took the opportunity to slam Mayor Mi-chael Bloomberg, who has often said he wanted education to be his legacy after 12 years in office.

What we learned again today is that after 12 years of demonizing teachers, 12 years of teaching to the test and shutting out parents and communities, the Bloomberg ad-ministrations efforts are headed in the wrong direction. Teaching to the test doesnt even help on the test, Thompson said in a statement. And the kids who are being hurt the most

are the kids who need help the most - young people in Black and Latino neighborhoods where the opportu-nity gap is being compounded with a massive achievement gap.

City Comptroller and candidate John Liu similarly blamed Bloomberg and his Tweed cronies for the poor performance of New York City stu-dents.

He [Bloomberg] excoriated teachers and others who pointed out the flaws in his analysis. In fact, the regime of teaching to the tests pushed kids out the schoolhouse door, even if their diplomas were worthless and their skills did not permit them to succeed in college or jobs, Liu said in a statement. Mayor Bloomberg had 12 years to advance his so-called reforms and pad his educational leg-acy. He failed.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio echoed similar sentiments, claiming the City has been focusing on a hand-ful of niche schools, but refrained from directing blame to the Mayor.

This is a major wake-up call, de Blasio said in a statement. We need a game-changer to raise outcomes for kids across the board. Comprehen-sive early education is the only way to achieve it.

Although Bloomberg was heavily criticized over the scores, during a press conference last week, he reportedly called the results very good news, cit-ing that Black and Hispanic students, who make up two-thirds of the student population, had made progress a fact he said was not widely reported.

Despite the rather unimpressive exam scores in the City, Queens students outperformed students in other parts of New York, with 31.9 percent scoring at or above average on the 2013 exams. The statewide av-erage was 31 percent.

Queens District 26, which in-cludes neighborhoods like Bayside, Oakland Gardens, Fresh Meadows, Hollis Hills and Jamaica Estates, scored best in the Borough, with 55.95 percent of students proficient in English and 66.6 percent in math.

District 25, which encompasses parts of Flushing and Whitestone, performed second best, with 40.75 percent of students proficient in English and 51.82 percent in math.

District 29, which encompasses the majority of Southeast Queens, had the lowest exam scores in the Borough. In English, only 21.65 percent of students were proficient and 20.16 in math.

At PS 122 in Astoria, 71 percent of students were at or above proficient levels in math and 69.7 percent were at or above a proficient level in Eng-lish roughly 40 percent higher than both the City and State averages.

Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), whose district encompasses the school, held a press conference on Aug. 12 honoring the students and teachers for their achievement.

It is ironic that the City wanted to make major changes at this school a few months ago, and now these kids have blown away the City averages, said Vallone said in a statement. These scores are a testament to the hard work of the teachers, students and parents and they prove that the programs at PS 122 need to be mir-rored in schools across the City.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska

City Sees Low Marks On Common Core

BY BILL ThOMpSON

My grandparents were immigrants from the Caribbean who came to New York for opportunity. They taught me about the value of a good education and how it could help me realize my dreams.

As a former president of the Board of Education and the son of a public school teacher who taught in Brooklyn for 30 years, I have seen how strong schools and great teach-ers can open up that promise of op-portunity for all New Yorkers.

But last week, we were reminded once again that the Bloomberg Ad-ministrations efforts are headed in the wrong direction. The latest city test scores found that only 16 percent of New York City Black and Latino students are proficient in reading and less than 20 percent of these same stu-dents are proficient in math.

The focus on teaching to the test is not helping anyone but the testing companies. Our students are not pre-

Creating Strong Schools Everywherepared, our teachers lack opportunity to teach critically and creatively, and our parents feel shut out. Its wrong.

Sadly, the students who are hurt the most are the children who need the most help. The system is failing young people in Black and Latino neighborhoods as the opportunity gap grows and is compounded by a massive achievement gap.

Let me be clear: tests should not be gotcha moments. Not for teachers and not for students. Tests should be part of a feedback loop that identifies where students need help and where teachers can help students improve.

Im sure that the Bloomberg Ad-ministration will spin things and say theres been a reduction in the dropout rates. But lets set the re-cord straight: we accomplish nothing when we graduate more kids who are less prepared. Talk to college admin-istrators and theyll tell you exactly

that. Meanwhile, the cost of reme-diation both in time and dollars is severely impacting our students and our entire education system.

That is why Im going to bring new leadership to City Hall. Ill stop demonizing teachers and end the last 12 years of teaching to the test. Ill bring communities together and make sure schools are open to parents. Ill name an educator as the Chancellor, not a magazine executive without an education background. And Ill make sure teachers have the support they need to prepare our students for col-lege and careers.

As Mayor, I will deliver a new di-rection for our schools and students. and together, were going to bring the promise of opportunity back to every community in our City.

Bill Thompson is a former City Comptroller and a Democratic candi-date for Mayor.

Bill Thompson

School District Reading % passed Math % passed

District 26 55.95 66.6

District 25 40.75 51.82

District 30 30.78 35.4

District 28 30.35 33.51

District 24 28.98 34.35

District 27 27.01 30.4

District 29 21.65 20.16


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FOOd & diNiNgBagels:Bakery:Bar:Breakfast:Burgers:Butcher:Coffee Shop:Deli:Desserts:Diner:Ice Cream:Pizza:Seafood:Steak:

ETHNiC FOOd Asian:French:Indian:Italian:Latin:Other Ethnic:

RETailBook Store:Clothing Store:Florist:Hardware Store:Jewelry Store:Liquor Store:Mall/Shopping Center:Pharmacy:Supermarket:Toy Store:

HEalTH & BEaUTYHair Salon:Doctor:Massage Therapist:Day Spa/Nail Salon:Personal Trainer:Veterinarian:

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SERviCESAuto Repair:Cleaning Company:Contractor:Electrician:Handyman:Landscaper:Painter:Plumber:Roofer:

YOUR PERSONal BESTS:

By Luis Gronda

A new science institute estab-lished at Jamaica Bay will study how coastal areas can be more resilient in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

City and federal officials an-nounced an agreement to create a science and resiliency institute that will cover the 10,000 acres of Jamai-ca Bay and the various parks in and around that region.

The new research center will aim to gain a better understanding of coastal ecosystems, as well as im-prove the Bays habitat and how it can be protected from future hurri-canes.

It will feature a number of estab-lished universities who will use its resources to come up with a frame-work for these coastal areas and how it can be improved in New York and throughout the country.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel were among the officials to attend Mondays announcement at Riis Landing in Breezy Point.

Bloomberg said that this was first created before Sandy hit last fall, but what happened to the coastal areas during that storm will be a huge part of this institute.

We expect the work spearhead-ed by the institute will help mitigate the dangers of future storms both to the Bay and to the neighborhoods nearby, the Mayor said. Lessons learned here will also help cities around the world as they face the

challenges of a changing climate.Jamaica Bay is going to be a per-

fect place for the whole country to learn about resilience and about sci-ence and how these natural ecosys-tems, in combination with the man-made ecosystems, are actually going to act, Jewel said.

The City University of New York will lead the effort, as they won the bid to build the center after the City announced the ini-tiative last year. Other colleges, in-cluding Columbia University, Cor-nell University and Stony Brook University, will also contribute to the institute.

A new Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Park conservancy will also be cre-ated to help fund the parkland in and around the Bay.

Dan Mundy Jr., president of the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers, a civic group dedicated to preserving the resources of Jamaica Bay, said both aspects of this project will be a huge boost to the wetland and the resi-dents who have been calling for its improvement.

All the stuff that we were fight-ing to do will be funded, he said. Theyll be able to study it better and also for the local economy, youll have the opportunity to bring people in and spent money.

Mundy also said residents of the area have been calling for the conser-vancy for over 20 years.


new research institute Coming To Jamaica Bay

Mayor Bloomberg speaks about the new research institute at Jamaica Bay on Monday.

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pixSUKHI NY held its second annual six-day Ramadan and Eid festival last week in Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights.

Corn Roast

The Boodoo siblings of Jamaica enjoy some corn during the free annual Corn Roast sponsored by the Jamaica Market on Aug. 10. Pictured (back row) are Reshma, 10, Neela, 9 and Jarina, 7; (front row) Nandina, 3, and Chandres, 2. Photo by Walter Karling.

Caughman HonoredManny Caughman, a candidate for City Council District 27, was recently honored by the Brinkerhoff Ac-tion Association during the groups 40th anni-versary celebration at Antuns Catering Hall. Pictured (from left) are Irving Hicks, president of Brinkerhoff Action Association; Caugh-man and Yvonne Mc-Call, Brinkerhoff Action Association.

Celebrating Diversity


Borough Beat

BY JOE MARVILLI

Responses and retorts went flying between two Queens Borough Presi-dent candidates at a debate in Jack-son Heights Tuesday night.

Hosted by the PRESS of South-east Queens and Citizens Union, in partnership with Chhaya CDC and the Queens Civic Congress, the de-bate was held at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights on Aug. 13. Both Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) and Melinda Katz answered questions fired by panelists, the audi-ence and each other.

Both Katz and Vallone were given the opportunity to ask the other a question and each one decided to go after their rivals choice of endorse-ments.

Katz questioned Vallone about petitioning on the Conservative line, curious about how he could pursue that vote given its strongly differing views on gun control, abortion and gay marriage to the Democratic Par-ty. Vallone responded that while he does accept support from all sides, he does not agree with every position of every endorser.

Its actually a silly accusation to make, he said. We agree on keeping our streets safe. Also, we agree on less harassment of our small businesses. I have sup-port from all parts of the political spectrum.

The candidate men-tioned his strong ap-proval and pursuit of stricter gun control laws as something that sets him apart from Conservative Party views. Taking his turn, Vallone asked Katz about how in-dependent she would be as BP, having gotten the support of the Queens Democratic Party. Katz re-plied that she had not always been the party favorite, running and win-ning in the Assembly against the Partys wishes.

The Councilman has gotten the support of the Queens County or-ganization all three times hes run, she added.

The two candidates also clashed on the new rulings by U.S. District

Court Judge Shira Sheindlin about Stop and Frisk and her recommenda-tion for the NYPD to have a federal monitor.

Any policy that over 98 percent of the time is not succeeding in the charge that was meant to succeed I think is an issue, Katz said. I am glad that there is an acknowledge-ment that it needs to be revamped.

No, I absolutely do not agree with this decision with this judge, who was biased from day one. I am one of the 10 monitors right now

over the NYPD, Val-lone said, adding that Katz was dodging the question.

Another topic that was strongly discussed was how to increase the BPs influence in making a differ-ence for the people of Queens.

Right now, we get less funding, we get less attention all over, Katz said. Build re-lationships with the administration thats

coming in so that that administration knows that if they ignore us, were go-ing to fight like heck to make sure we get our fair share of funding.

This office is what you make it, Vallone said. With a strong, inde-pendent voice, not one thats already indebted to the county machine, this office can stand up for the 2.25 mil-lion people of Queens who have not had a voice.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @Joey788.

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Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. and Melinda Katz discuss the issues during a Borough President debate Tuesday night.

Vallone And Katz Clash In BP Debate

Police Blotter

Grand larceny - the nyPd is seeking the publics assistance identifying these suspects wanted for a grand larceny that took place on aug. 3 in front of 83-17 northern blvd., within the confines of the 115th Precinct. the suspects removed a cell phone from a 37-year-old man who was asleep on a bench.

102nd Precinctrobbery

The NYPD is seeking the pub-lics assistance locating two suspects wanted in connection to a robbery.

At 11:10 p.m. on July 29 in the vi-cinity of Jamaica Avenue and 134th Street, a 59-year-old male was ap-proached by two suspects who de-manded money. The victim handed over cash. The suspects demanded more money, but when the victim

said he did not have more money, the suspect punched the victim in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head.

The suspects fled with the cash and the victims cell phone. The vic-tim was removed to Jamaica Hospi-tal in stable condition.

The first suspect is described as a Black male in his 20s, between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-10, last seen wear-ing a black skull cap, black T-shirt and black pants. The second suspect

is also described as a Black male in his 20s, between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-10, last seen wearing dark pants and a button-down shirt.

103rd PrecinctHomicide arrest

Police arrested two suspects on Aug. 7 in connection to a homicide that occurred on Aug. 3 in front of 89-32 163rd St.

Police responded to a call of a male shot on Aug. 3 to discover one victim, identified as Martin Delrosa-rio, 33, of Jamaica, with a gunshot wound to the chest, and a second victim with a gunshot wound to the ankle. Both victims were removed to Jamaica Hospital, where Delrosario was pronounced dead. The second victim was listed in stable condition.

Police arrested two individuals in connection to the incident. The first, Edwin Fernandez, 34, of Jamaica, was charged with second-degree mur-der, criminal possession of a weapon and assault. The second individual, Brunildo Guichardo, 28, of Jamaica, was also charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon and assault.

114th PrecinctGrand larceny

The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance identifying and locating four suspects wanted in connection with a grand larceny that took place at 4:45 p.m. on Aug. 3.

Four male suspects entered the AT&T retail store, located at 31-54 Steinway St., Astoria, and, acting in concert, removed three iPads and two Samsung Galaxy cell phones from the display wall. No injuries were reported at this incident.

robbery The NYPD is seeking the publics

assistance identifying and locating the following three suspects wanted in connection with a robbery.

At approximately 7:18 p.m. on July 28, three male suspects ap-proached a male victim, a Chinese food delivery man, in front of 27-16 12th St., Astoria, displayed a weapon and demanded property. The victim complied and the suspects fled with money, an electric bike and Chinese food. No injuries were reported at this incident.


Profile

People

Despite a reduction in the num-ber of judges and fewer court person-nel at all levels, and while enduring slashed budgets and burgeoning case loads, the courts of Queens seem to be operating effi-ciently.

The courts are essential for govern-ment operations, the Hon. Jeremy Wein-stein, administrative judge of the Queens County Supreme Courts civil division, said. At one time or another, most people find themselves in the court system, whether as a litigant or as a ju-ror.

After serving six years as a Civil Court judge, Weinstein was elected a Supreme Court judge in 1999. In 2007, he was appointed as administrative judge, a position he said is his most satisfying in his long career in public service.

A graduate of Jamaica High School and York College where he was elected the first president of the schools student body Weinstein said he never had sights on serving

on the bench. He served in the State Senate for 14 years, where he was named Minority Whip and Assistance Minority Leader.

[Being a judge] was not a career path I had anticipated, Weinstein said. But when it was broached to me, I pursued the opportunity.

Now, Weinstein oversees the day-to-day operations of the civil division of the Queens County Su-preme Court. He is in

charge of case assignment to judges and non-judicial staff in the civil divi-sion. Weinstein serves as the super-visory authority of civil and hous-

ing court judges, along with more than 400 employees.

The court, Weinstein said, has roughly 32,000 cases currently pending. The judge said once a case is filed with-in the court, statewide stan-dards and goals set by the Of-fice of Court Administration require courts to hear the case within 15 months.

Weinstein touted the courts success in meeting the statewide standards, noting that 92 percent of cases in his division are heard within 15 months.

Queens Countys numbers are some of the best in the state, he said.

Ensuring that cases are heard in a timely manner has become a greater challenge in recent years, Weinstein said, because of budget cuts to the court system since the recent financial crisis. He noted the court system has experi-enced two straight years of significant cuts.

As the Boroughs population con-tinues to grow, so does the amount of cases the court expects to hear. In

The Hon. Jeremy Weinstein has served as administrative judge of the Queens County Supreme Courts civil division, based in Jamaica, since 2007.

2012, there were more than 18,000 cases filed within the civil division. Based on year-to-date numbers, Weinstein said he expects this years numbers to be around 20,000.

The volume we deal with is stag-gering, he said. And having the ability to deal with it is more of a challenge with fewer resources.

Despite the rising fiscal chal-lenges the courts are facing, Wein-stein said he appreciated the oppor-tunity to serve as an administrative judge.

Its a very rewarding position, he said. Very challenging, but re-warding.

Hon. Jeremy Weinstein:

Courts Persevere Despite Fiscal Challenges

State Sen. Joe Addabbo recently helped the owners and workers at STS Tire and Auto Center, 123-11 Rockaway Blvd., in South Ozone Park celebrate the stores grand opening.

Grand OpeningLocal students received

degrees during spring 2013 commencement ceremonies at Fairleigh Dickinson Uni-versity in New Jersey. They include:

Cambria Heights: Ashley Davis.

Holliswood: Samantha Weltz.

Laurelton: Marie Edwards, Vladimir Simeon.

Queens Village: Ana Moli-nar, Hidalgo Montano.

Rosedale: Stephanie Myers.St. Albans: Michael Teles-

ford, Gefferson Henriquez.

The New York Army Na-tional Guard has released the names of members who have reenlisted. They include:

Sergeant Christina Schloss of Jamaica, 152nd Engineer Support Company.

Sergeant Jeremy Lee of Cambria Heights, Company A (Distribution), 427th Bri-gade Support Battalion.

Sergeant Trevor Darrell of Jamaica, Division Signal Company, 42nd Infantry Di-vision.

Sergeant Jeremy Diaz of Hollis, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-69th Infantry.

Specialist Herbert Tudor of Queens Village, 133rd Quartermaster Support Company.

Specialist Perry Batts of Jamaica, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-258th Field Artillery.

Staff Sergeant Jermaine Hope of Queens Village, 719th Transportation Com-pany.

Staff Sergeant Martha Greene of Laurelton, Head-quarters and Headquarters Company, 369th Sustain-ment Brigade.

Local students received degrees during spring 2013 commencement ceremonies at Morrisville State College. They include:

Jamaica: Kane Frazier, in-dividual studies.

Queens Village: Abimbola Otesile, nursing.

Rosedale: Roshell Ross, individual studies.

Local students received degrees during spring 2013 commencement ceremonies at the College of Saint Rose in Albany. They include:

Cambria Heights: Chinye-lu Fafowora, Marjorie Grey, Melinda Carroll, Anita Sher-ald.

Jamaica: Stacy Toriola, Gloria Nelson, Ranjit Singh, Adrienne Whaley, Stanwick Daniels, Ebere Osu, Senese Veira-Wilson.

Laurelton: Theron Gri-nage.

Queens Village: Jamie Hendrickson, Ayesha Rush-dan, Melissa Amos.

Rosedale: Lawrence Knight.St. Albans: Sonia Hurdle,

Novelette Anderson-Green. South Ozone Park: Jackie

McAllister. Springfield Gardens: Mi-

chelle Bodden-White, Angela Smith, Sharline Bryan.

Amani Tatum of Cambria Heights will enroll at James Madison University in Harri-sonburg, Va., for the fall 2013 semester.


A & E

By Trisha sakhuja

Growing up in Jackson Heights, Vakas Khan, 31, would pass the col-orful walls of 5Pointz in Long Island City while riding the 7 train with his family.

But never did he think that he would shoot a mu-sic video at the same ma-jestic site for one of his tracks, The Krylon off his hip-hop album, En-ter the 36 Tentacles, as an underground hip-hop artist, known as Mic-Key Boston Kovaks, alongside emcee, graffiti and visual artist, Regimental One-ton.

Living that and do-ing that is something that I cannot explain, Boston said. It was des-tiny.

Over the past decade, the Flush-ing native and curator of 5Pointz, Jonathan Cohen, best known by his tag name, Meres One, has watched his outdoor graffiti gallery flourish by attracting many hip-hop and R&B stars like Doug Fresh, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, DJ

JS-1 and many more. The iconic site also attracts graffiti

artists, DJs, Emcees, break dancers, filmmakers, photographers, locals and tourists from around the world.

Boston, like many other artists who were in-trigued by 5Pointz, grew a liking to the site because of its urban cultural phe-nomena.

It is an environment of respect and equality, Boston said. The whole essence of graffiti culture is inclusion.

Bostons passion for hip-hop, graffiti art and urban culture thrived because of rapper Nas, Company Flow, an un-derground hip-hop group, and Bollywood films that depicted heroes fighting for the peasant workers.

His lyrics stem from his experienc-es as an indigenous activist, who raps about the struggle for land, freedom, dignity and self-determination.

My love and passion for graffiti came about because the music and its sub-culture was what I connected to the most, Boston said. Hip-hop

and art is my therapy. The owner of the iconic 5Pointz

site, located at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, David Wolkoff, has le-gally allowed aerosol artists from all over the world to paint colorful piec-es on the walls of his 200,000-square-foot factory building for years.

The Wolkoff family has planned to demolish the site to construct two apartment buildings, totaling 1,000-units. Wolkoff said his family would like to keep the urban culture of the site alive by allowing for open artist space and collaborating with local art organizations, like MoMA PS1.

The development project was re-cently approved by the Queens Bor-ough President Helen Marshall and it waits for the City Councils ap-proval.

Everyone wants to preserve 5Pointz and keep it as a heritage

site, Boston said, because people have built bridges here.

The owner of the land would like to profit by taking something away, which would be culture, art and iden-tity, and replace it with a new devel-opment, said Boston.

In terms of Wolkoffs new devel-opment, Boston found it difficult to choose between the tourists or local residents because he said both pos-sibilities offer economic benefits, but I would not know which one is best.

Boston said the culture associ-ated with 5Pointz is like religion for many of the artists, who might dis-agree with Boston when he says the compromises Wolkoff made with the artist community might even work for the better.

Reach Trisha Sakhuja at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, [email protected], or @Tsakhuja13.

jackson heights artist raps at 5Pointz

By Luis Gronda

Local kids are getting a chance to hone their dancing skills.

The Queens Community House in Forest Hills has been hosting a pro-gram that allows boys and girls to practice breakdancing at its facility.

The program started more than a dozen years ago and now has 100 kids, or b-boys and b-girls as they are com-monly called in the breakdancing com-munity, registered to hone their skills.

On any given night, you can find a number of youth from not only NYC, but from across the U.S. and other parts of the world at the QCH Eve-ning Teen Center, Program Director Mike Zevon said.

Earlier this month, two people from different countries, Denmark and Colum-bia, visited the program in Forest Hills.

Rasmus Gravesen, from Copenha-gen, said he did not realize how few spaces there are to breakdance in the United States.

The biggest difference is the amount of free space available for practices in Europe, Rasmus said.

You would think that there would be more space available in a place like NYC, the place where breakdancing originated, but that just isnt the case.

Julio Acevedo, a native of Carta-gena, Colombia, said breakdancing creates a sense of community.

Dancing creates an instant fam-ily. You can find b-boys from around the world and know you share a com-mon interest, said Acevedo, who has been performing for over 10 years and opened a school to teach younger kids in his country.

As it turns out, Acevedo and Gra-vesen will be on the same flight to Co-lumbia and they said they plan to net-work during their time in New York and South America.

Zevon was not surprised when he heard that the two strangers from dif-ferent continents connected because of break dancing.

Its really a small world, and in the breaking community, its a close-knit, smaller world, he said.


Forest hills Community Center offers Breakdancing Program

Mic-key Boston kovaks

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By joE MarViLLi

Queens vocalists, listen up. It is time to try out for the Oratorio So-ciety of Queens.

Under the artistic direction of Maestro David Close, who has been the artistic director and conductor for 40 years, the group is preparing for their annual holiday show, tak-ing place on Dec. 22. The concert will take place in the Queensbor-ough Performing Arts Center. To help make the night a great one, the society is looking to add new talent to its ranks.

Auditions will be held on Sept. 9 and Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Reservations are required to try out. For those who pass, they can start immedi-ately with that Mondays rehearsal. OSQ practices every Monday eve-ning from 7:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Temple Beth Sholoms FSG Hall at 172nd Street and Northern Boule-vard in Flushing.

The chorus has more than 120 members, but is still looking to add altos, sopranos, tenors and bass singers. Members come from many different backgrounds, ages and singing ability. While there are a few spots in every section, Close will not turn away talent if a great vocalist walks through the door.

Certainly, if we find an out-standing voice, well open up the

quota a little bit, he said. They go directly into rehearsal that night. For many of them, its a lot of new and unfamiliar music.

The OSQ is open to singers who can both read music and those that cannot. What Close wants most is a strong performance and a strong desire to improve.

Were looking for quality of sound, willingness to work hard. They dont have to read music, he said. We take the idea of commu-nity chorus very seriously.

In addition to many traditional Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs, OSQ will be performing Part 1 of Handels Messiah, which goes over Jesus birth, the annun-ciation to the shepherds and some of his deeds.

Its so embedded in the culture. To not do it is to risk not drawing an audience, Close said. Its a cultural phenomenon and tradition we hooked into.

For more information or to sched-ule an audition, call (718) 279-3006 or visit www.queensoratorio.org.

Dont be afraid. Youve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain, Close said. Singing in a chorus is one of the more outstanding experi-ences one can have on the planet.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @Joey788.

oratorio society holds auditions in sept.


Faith

NotebookKing Manor Museum

Photo provided by K

ing Manor


This weekend, the Rufus King Manor Museum will hold their fourth annual Craftsman Day event, featur-ing a number of demonstrations of crafts from the 1800s.

The event, which began in 2010, is meant to help educate locals of all ages about the time period, with a focus on Rufus King a prominent American lawyer, politician and dip-lomat who once lived in the home now transformed into the museum.

The period we interpret at King Manor Museum is the first-half of the 19th century. These are crafts that would have been done common-ly in the early-to-mid 1800s, said Emily Melchin, manager of public programs at the museum. It appeals to both kids and grown ups.

Although it is not required by the museum, many of the demonstrators have dressed up in costume from the era and interacted with the children.

Last year, a woman demonstrat-ed spinning and she was great about making it very interactive. Last year, she let people sit down at her spin-ning wheel and try themselves, Melchin said. Similarly, the man who demonstrates traditional broom-making he is especially great with kids and there are a lot of hands-on components to his demonstrations.

According to Melchin, it has al-ways been a mission of King Manor Museum to offer programs that help

educate school children in the community. This is especially important, she said, considering many schools in South-east Queens are not performing well.

The majority of our activities are serving school children es-pecially from South-east Queens, she said. Thats a major com-ponent of our program-ming. Its so important nowadays because some schools arent doing that well. Students are doing less and less and they need enrichment like this.

This is a really unique thing. Normal-ly, people dont come across or have access to these types of events, she added. Youre within history. This house is over 200 years old. Its really making the history come alive.

In addition to educating the youth, Melchin said she hopes that the event will help bring families together.

Its something we like to focus on, she said. We try to design the programs so its about the families working together and not parents just coming and dropping off their kids. Its about the family and the

children working together.The demonstrations are free and

will be held at the King Manor Muse-um on Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17 from noon to 4 p.m. There will be demonstrations in crafts such as spinning, tinsmithing and broom-making. Traditional and live music will also be performed.

King Manor Museum will also of-fer discounted suggested donations for guided tours all weekend. Sug-

gested donations are $2 for adults and $1 for children.

For more information about this and future events, visit www.king-manor.org or call (718) 206-0545.

King Manor Museum is located at 150-03 Jamaica Ave., at Rufus King Park.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikows-ka at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska

King Manor Museum in Jamaica will hold their annual craftsman Day this weekend. chil-dren and parents alike will be able to see demonstrations in crafts such as tinsmithing, spin-ning and broommaking.


On Sunday, Aug. 25, the Gethse-mane Baptist Church in Hollis will hold their annual Mens Day services in an effort to encourage men in the community to come together and stop the violence.

This year, we wanted to focus on bringing father, sons, young men and older men together to really stop the violence that is taking place in our neighborhood, said Rev. Michael Corley, pastor at Gethsemane.

According to Corley, it is particu-larly important for the clergy and church community to host services like these for its parishioners.

It is a problem that we cannot

Hollis church Hosts Annual Mens Day Servicesjust rely on other organizations and elected officials to really address, the Reverend said. If it takes a vil-lage to raise our children, then the vil-lage must come together. Everybody knows the church plays a vital role in the community in terms of gathering families and young people.

Churches should have services centered on stopping the violence in the community, he added. We need to do this periodically because this issue is ongoing. Its not an isolated issue. Were seeing too many of our young people die before their time.

Corley, who also happens to be the program director for Arches Mentoring Program, a program in Jamaica that mentors young men in the criminal jus-

tice system, hopes that these services inspire men to stand up to violence.

Im hoping they can take away that we all have God-given potential that we need to use to help to em-power those in our community, he said. The main message is that guns and gang violence is not the answer. We cant sit idly by we have to do something to let our community know that we are concerned.

The services, which will be cen-tered around the theme, We are our brothers keepers, will be hold at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Rev. Corley will speak at the morning service and special guest Rev. Phil Craig, of the Springfield Community Church in Springfield Gardens, will speak at

the afternoon service. Craig is also president of the National Action Network Queens Chapter.

We are hoping that many young people and fathers come to this ser-vice, because I think its time we all come together and support each oth-er, Corley added.

Gethsemane Baptist Church is located at 88-48 St., Hollis. For ad-ditional information, call (718) 464-0391 or email [email protected] or visit the churchs Fa-cebook page at www.facebook.com/gethsemanebaptistchuch1.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikows-ka at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska

King Manor Hosts Annual craftsman Day Event

Find furry friendship!

Sept. 1315 Sept. 21 & 22

Oct. 1820

TM/ Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

become a favorite friend at sesamestreetlive.com

TM/2013 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. 62634 7/13

Tickets on sale now.

Section editor: reGinA VoGeL

Send announce-ments for your club or organizations events

at least TWO weeks in advance to Queens

Today Editor, Queens Tribune, 150-50 14

Road, Whitestone NY 11357. Send faxes to

357-9417, c/o Regina or email to

[email protected]

Yearly schedules and ad-vanced notices welcome!

PArentS

tALKS

KidS MUSic cLASSWednesdays newborn to 4 with guardian at the JCC in Jackson Heights. 609-0066.PSYcHoLoGicAL ctrFamily and child therapy, parent management train-ing and more. 570-0500 sliding scale.KidS KornerWeekdays Central Queens YM-YWHA in Forest Hills. For K-6. 268-5011, ext. 203.

UrBAn FictionMonday, August 19 The Eleventh Commandment discussed at the Arverne library at 5.BooK GroUPthursday, August 29 East Flushing library at 11.

MeetinGS

P-FLAGSundays, August 18, Sep-tember 15 P-FLAG, a sup-port group for parents, families and friends of lesbi-ans and gays meet in Forest Hills. 271-7773.creAtiVe WritinGMondays, August 19, 26 Hollis library at 5:30.cHeSS cLUBMonday, August 19 Wood-haven library at 2:30.Knit & crocHetMondays, August 19, 26 Douglaston library at 4.tALK oF toWntuesdays, August 20, Sep-tember 3, 17 learn the art of public speaking in St. Albans at 7:15. 640-7092.Knit & crocHettuesday, August 20 Stein-way library at 5:30.AMer. LeGiontuesdays, August 20, Sep-tember 17 American Le-gion McKee Post 131 at 8 at 10-20 Clintonville Street, Whitestone. 767-4323.BereAVeMenttuesdays, August 20, Sep-tember 17 Bereavement Support Group at Holy Family in Fresh Meadows. 7:30. 969-2448.cAMerA cLUBtuesdays, August 20, 27 Southeast Queens Camera Club meets at the Roy Wilkins Family Rec. Center. 347-528-7178.Knit & crocHettuesdays, August 20, 27 Whitestone library at 2 and Windsor Park library at 2.cHeSS For ALLtuesdays, August 20, 27 Rosedale library at 4.cHeSS cLUBtuesdays Windsor Park library at 5:30.SUMMer SeWinGWednesday, August 21 Central library at 11:30.

entertAinMent

BALLetSSaturday, August 17 2-3 and 4-5 at the Flushing library.nU UrBAn cAFSaturdays live jazz, r&b, open mic 8-midnight. Free. 188-36 Linden Blvd., St. Albans. 917-817-8653.SALon SUndAYSunday, August 18 artists working in any medium are invited to bring in slides, CDs or samples of their work. Flushing Town Hall at 2. 463-7700, ext. 222.trAVerS PArKSunday, August 18 Calpulli Mexican Dance Company at 3.. Sunday, August 25 City Parks Puppet Show at 11. Travers Park, 78th Street between 34th and Northern Blvd.BinGotuesdays 7:15 American Martyrs Church in Bayside. 464-4582. tuesdays 7:15 (doors open 6) Rego Park Jewish Center. 459-1000. $3 admission includes 12 games.

ALUMni

dAnce

iSrAeLi FoLKMondays 7:15-9:45 at Hill-crest Jewish Center, 182-02 Union Turnpike. $10 ses-sion. 380-4145. Line dAncinGMondays 6:30 -9 :30 a t Kowalinski Post 4, 61-57 Maspeth Avenue. $7. Cake and coffee. 565-2259. coUntrY LineWednesdays 7-10 at the STARS Building, 8 Coleman Square, Howard Beach. $10.

BLAnd HoUSeSSaturday, September 7 reunion of former Bland Houses residents . 815-6697.

Knit & crocHetWednesdays, August 21, 28 South Ozone Park library at 1.WritinG cLUBthursdays, August 22, 29 Peninsula library at noon.JAMAicA KiWAniSthursdays, August 22, September 12, 26 Ki -wanis Club of Jamaica. 527-3678.cHeSS cLUBFridays, August 23, 30 Woodside library at 4.BLoGGinG cLUBFriday, August 23 Penin-sula library at noon.GArdeninG cLUBSaturdays in the Steinway library courtyard at 4.orAtorio SocietYMondays at 7:45 at Temple Beth Sholom in Flushing. 279-3006. Auditions re-quired.

eXHiBit

Li ArcHiVeSLaGuardia and Wagner Archives display various exhibits exploring the his-tory of NYC. LaGuardia Community College. 482-5709. Free.KinG MAnorPre-Hampton 19th century get-away Village, Jamaica Village, at King Manor Mu-seum, in the middle of King Park. $2 adults, $1 children. By appointment only. 206-0545.BoWne HoUSeOriginal 17th, 18th and 19th century furnishings. 37-01 Bowne Street, Flush-ing. 359-0528. $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 students and children.PoPPenHUSenKindergarten room, Vic-torian Hall, old village jail cells and current exhibits. 10-2. 358-0067.BotAnicAL GArden38 acre garden provides recreation, formal and in-formal educational oppor-tunities. Queens Botani-cal Gardens, 43-50 Main Street. 886-3880.coUntY FArMTours available of historic 1772 Adriance Farmhouse. Queens County Farm Mu-seum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park. 347-FARM.MoVinG iMAGeUnderstanding, enjoyment and appreciation of the art, history, technique and tech-nology of film, television and digital media. Tuesday-Thursday 10:30-5:00, Friday 10:30-8:00, Saturday-Sun-day 11:30-7:00. $12 adults, $9 students, seniors 65+, $6 children. 777-6800.

Queens TodayAug. 16-22, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15


YoUtH teenS

crAFt WorKSHoPSaturday, August 17 Hill-crest library at 2.cHeSS cLUBSaturdays Flushing library at 2.SUMMer GAMeSWeekdays Peninsula library at 4:30.cHeSS cLUBMonday, August 19 Wood-haven library at 2:30.Green crAFtSMonday, August 19 Wood-side library at 2:30.BLoGGinG cLUBMonday, August 19 Penin-sula library at 6:30.PHoto cLUBMonday, August 19 South Ozone Park library. Reg-ister.Knit & crocHetMondays, August 19, 26 Douglaston library at 4.crAFternoonSMondays, August 19, 26 Rosedale library at 4.MAKinG MoVieSMonday, August 19 Wood-haven library at 4.cHeSS cLUBMondays, August 19, 26 Bayside library at 6.QUiLtinGtuesday, August 20 South Ozone Park library at 2.Knit & crocHettuesday, August 20 Stein-way library at 5:30.teen/tWeen cLUBtuesday, August 20 Bay-side library at 4.cHeSS For ALLtuesdays, August 20, 27 Rosedale library at 4.BooK BUddieStuesdays, August 20, 27

QUeenS LiBrArieSMany branches of the Queensborough Library of-fer toddler and pre-school programs and more. Con-tact local branches.SUMMer reAdinGContact local libraries for Summer Reading Programs for all ages.crAFt WorKSHoPSaturday, August 17 Hill-crest library at 2.cHeSS cLUBSaturdays at the Flushing library at 2.SUMMer crAFtSMonday, August 19 How-ard Beach library at 2.BABY & MeMonday, August 19 Bay-side library at 11.MAGic oF ActinGMonday, August 19 Pomo-nok library. Register.cHeSS cLUBMonday, August 19 Wood-haven library at 2:30.cHeSS cLUBMonday, August 19 Pop-penhusen library at 3.PHoto cLUBMonday, August 19 South Ozone Park library. Reg-ister.tHeAtricKSM o n d a y , A u g u s t 1 9 Pomonok library at noon. Wednesday, August 21 Fresh Meadows library at 2.thursday, August 22 Hillcrest library at 1.Friday, August 23 Hollis library at 3.crAFternoonSMondays, August 19, 26 Rosedale library at 4.reAd to A doGtuesday, August 20 North Hills library at 4.BooK BUddieStuesday, August 20 South Ozone Park library. Reg-ister.nAtUre KidStuesdays, August 20, 27 Woodside library at 4:15.diG into reAdinGtuesdays, August 20, 27 Rosedale library at 2.cooKinG cLUBtuesday, August 20 2:30 at the Pomonok library.tWeen/teen cLUBtuesday, August 20 Bay-side library at 4.drAMA cLUBtuesday, August 20 Co-rona library at 5.ArtS & crAFtStuesdays at the North Hills library at 2:15.nAtUre KidStuesdays Sunnyside library at 3:00.FAMiLY FUn tiMeWednesdays, August 21, 28 Broadway library at 11:30.diG into reAdinGWednesday, August 21 Le-frak City library at 2:30.BooK cLUBWednesday, August 21

Woodhaven l ib ra r y a t 2:30.reAd to MeWednesdays, August 21, 28 Rosedale l ibrary at 10:30.diG into reAdinGWednesday, August 21 Arverne library at 11.eco crAFtSWednesday, August 21 Sunnyside library at noon.crAFtS & FUnWednesday, August 21 Windsor Park library. Reg-ister.SUMMer reAdinGWednesday, August 21 Peninsula library at 11:30.BULLetin BoArdWednesday, August 21 Auburndale library at 3.WritinG cLUBWednesday, August 21 Corona library at 3.MAnGA cLUBWednesday, August 21 Corona library at 5:30.FAMiLY StorYtiMethursday, August 22 Bay Terrace library at 11:30.BoArd GAMeSthursday, August 22 Au-burndale library at 3.eco crAFtSthursday, August 22 Sun-nyside library at 4.Word FUnthursday, August 22 Pomo-nok library at 11:30.nAtUre KidSthursdays, August 22, 29 Astoria library at 1:30.MAnGA drAWinGthursdays South Ozone Park library at 4.GAMe onthursdays at the Central library at 3:30.cHeSS cLUBthursdays Rochdale Vil-lage library at 4:30.BoArd GAMeSFriday, August 23 Windsor Park library. Register.GAMe dAYFridays, August 23, 30 South Ozone Park library at 2:30 and 4..MAd LiBSFriday, August 23 Corona library at 3.BooK BUddieSFriday, August 23 Bayside library at 4.teMPorArY tAttooFridays, August 23, 30 Peninsula library at noon.StorY & crAFtFriday, August 23 Forest Hills library at 11:30.StorYtiMeFridays South Hollis library at 11:15.crAFt cLUBFridays Peninsula library at 3.GAMe dAYFridays at 3:30 Queens Village library.ArtS & crAFtSFridays Briarwood library at 4. East Flushing Register. Ozone Park at 3.

GAMe dAYFridays Windsor Park at 4.cHeSS cLUBFridays Auburndale library at 3:30 and Windsor Park library. Register.

South Ozone Park library at 4.diG into reAdinGtu e s d a y , A u g u s t 2 0 Arverne library at 5.drAMA cLUBtuesday, August 20 Co-rona library at 5.GAMe tiMeWednesday, August 21 Pomonok library at 4:30.Knit & crocHetWednesdays, August 21, 28 South Ozone Park li-brary at 1.MAnGA cLUBWednesday, August 21 Corona library at 5:30.diG into reAdinGt h u r s d ay, Au g u s t 2 2 Rosedale library at 3.Knit & crocHetthursday, August 22 Co-rona library at 5:30.MAnGA drAWinGthursdays South Ozone Park library at 4.cHeSS cLUBthursdays Rochdale Vil-lage library 4:30.BooK BUddieSFriday, August 23 Bayside library at 4.cHeSS cLUBFridays, August 23, 30 Woodside library at 4.SUMMer GAMeSFridays, August 23, 30 Peninsula library at 4:30.recordinG StUdioFriday, August 23 Re-cording Studio Workshop: Audio Engineering, Editing and Mixing at the Far Rock-away library at 2:45.BLoGGinG cLUBFriday, August 23 Penin-sula library at noon.

SeniorS

BAYSide SeniorSMovies, health presenta-tions, Zumba, chair yoga, Wii bowling, strollers, line dancing, duplicate bridge, Sen ior S ing , dup l ica te Bridge and more. CCNS Bayside Senior Center, 221-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Bayside. 225-1144.deFenSiVe driVinGMonday, August 19 Laurel-ton library. Register.cLeArVieW SeniorWednesday, August 21 Amerigroup rep at 11. Friday, August 23 Current Events at 12:45 and craft sale 10-2. tuesday, August 27 Music Appreciation at 12:45. Mondays Qi Gong at 10:45, card play-ing at 12:30. tuesdays and thursdays Wii Time at 12:45. tuesdays and Wednesdays drawing and painting at 9:30. Wednes-days b ingo a t 12 :45 , tai chi at 2. thursdays scrabble at 12:45. Fridays dance f itness at 10:45.

cUrrentHeALtH

ZUMBASaturdays, through August Ridgewood library at 10.YoGASaturdays through Sep-tember 8 9:30-10:30 and 11-12 and Sundays 10-11. Socrates Sculpture, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.tAi cHiSundays through Septem-ber 9 11-12 at Socrates Sculpture, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.MetAStAtic BreAStMondays 1:30-3:00 at Adelphi School of Social Work. 516-877-4314.YoUnG BreAStMondays young women with breast cancer meet 7-8:30 at Adelphi School of Social Work. 516-877-4314.ZUMBAtuesday, August 20 Co-rona library at 6.BereAVeMenttuesdays, August 20, Sep-tember 17 Bereavement Support Group at Holy Family in Fresh Meadows. 7:30. 969-2448.YoGA StretcHtuesdays, August 20, 27 Richmond Hill library at 5:30.YoGA cLASSeSthrough thursday August 22 yoga class at the Hill-crest Jewish Center. 646-250-5379.SHAPe UP nYcFriday, August 23, 30 Briar-wood library at 11:30.dAnce FitneSSFridays, August 23, 30 Richmond Hill library at 5:30.AnGer MAnAGeMentWednesdays and Saturdays Classes, individual, family, couples therapy in Briar-wood. 374-6765.SUPPort GroUPSAlcohol, drugs, domestic violence, martial issues, depression, anxiety, pho-bia, etc. Woodside Clinic. 779-1234.doMeStic VioL.24 hour Domestic Violence Hotline. 657-0424.PSYcHoLoGicAL ctrIndividual and group coun-seling, family and couple therapy and more. 570-0500 sliding scale.ScHiZo. Anon.Sundays in Rego Park. 896-3400.

edUcAtion/GAMeS/crAFtS

JoB SeArcHSaturday, August 17 Job Search Strategies and Re-sume Writing Far Rockaway library at 2.Line dAncinGSaturdays, August 17, Sep-tember 7, 21 ongoing mixed level, coed line dance classes at Cambria Heights Community Church. $10. 646-229-0242.crAFt cLUBMonday, August 19 Broad-way library at 12:30.BLoGGinGMonday, August 19 Penin-sula library at 6:30.JoB reAdineSSMondays, August 19, 26 South Jamaica library at 2.BALLrooM dAncinGMondays, August 19, 26 Forest Hills library at 6:30.crAFternoonMondays, August 19, 26 Rosedale library at 4.JoB reAdineSSMondays Job Readiness and computer assistance 2-6 at the South Jamaica library.JoB SeArcHMondays free job search and computer help every Monday 11-2 at the Astoria library.BridGeMondays except holidays 12-4 at Pride of Judea in Douglaston. Lesson & play $10. Partners arranged. 423-6200.AdULt cHeSSMondays and thursdays Queens Village library at 5:30.BeGin coMPUterStuesdays, August 20, 27 Rosedale library at 11.WAtercoLor cLASStuesday, August 20 Flush-ing library. Register.tecHnoLoGiSt iS intuesdays, August 20, 27 Pomonok library at 2.onLine JoB SeArcHtuesday, August 20 Far Rockaway library. Register.GUitAr LeSSonStuesday, August 20 Wood-haven library. Register.BeGin GUitArtuesdays, August 20, 27 Central library. Register.cHeSStuesdays Rosedale library at 4.SMALL BUSineSStuesdays Small Business Workshop at the Central library. Register.Get YoUr YArnS oUt!tuesdays after evening Minyan at 8, knitters, cro-cheters, needlepoint-ers, and others meet at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 263-7000, ext. 200.BeGin coMPUterSWednesdays, August 21, 28 Hollis library. Register.

Movies, computer classes, discussion groups, more. Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26th Avenue, Bay-side. 224-7888.driVer SAFetYFriday, August 23 Glen Oaks library. Register.onGoinG eVentSSoUtH ASiAnAlternate Saturdays Self-help BR-PS Senior Center in Flushing. Indian-style activi-ties, lunch. 886-5777.dUPLicAte BridGeMondays Lunch, lesson and congenial play. Pride of Judea. 423-6200.StAY WeLLMondays at the Central library at 10 and Wednes-days at 10:15 at the East Elmhurst library. Learn how special exercise and relax-ation techniques make a difference in life.cAreGiVerStuesdays Caregivers Sup-port group at 3:30-4:30 Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26th Av-enue, Bayside. 631-1886.

Queens Today


Whats UpAUG. 16Sewing Circle for Women

Learn how to turn sewing skills into a career and earn money work-ing for yourself. Bring your friends! Space is limited; first come, first served.

Registration is not required. The free sewing circle will begin at 10 a.m. at the Queens Central Library.

Networking EventNetworking is the development of

professional relationships and is in todays competitive job market one of the best ways to find a job. Through networking, you can exchange in-formation with others about job op-portunities, interesting organizations and up-and-coming industries. For more information about this free workshop, call (718) 990-8625 or visit the Job Information Center. The class code is JR190. Registration is required. The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. at the Queens Central Li-brary.

Metrix LearningMetrix Learning is a self-directed

online learning program offering multiple learning tracks in a single platform. In this free orientation ses-sion, you will learn about training through Metrix, including certifica-tions in Microsoft Office, Quick-Books and Adobe. Register online, by phone at (718) 990-8625 or at the Job Information Center. The class code is CC230. The program is free and will begin at the Queens Central Library at 1 p.m.

Open LabAt open lab practice, you can

search for a job, practice your com-puter skills or edit your resume. For more information, visit the Job In-formation Center or call (718) 990-8625. The lab is free and will be held at the Queens Central Library at 2 p.m.

Classic Film Fridays Casino Royale

A Better Jamaica will host a free screening of Casino Royale at the Rufus King Park at 8 p.m. Rufus King Park is located at the intersec-tion of Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street.

This Bond film takes us back to the beginning. James has a freshly stamped 00 status and he is going to establish the reckless style that will make him famous. Bonds mission is Le Chiffre, banker to the worlds terrorists. 007 needs to find all aces in a high stakes poker game with Le Chiffre at the Casino Royale.

AUG. 17Coed Mixed Level Line Dance

Cambria Heights Community Church is offering line dance class-es. These low impact, calorie-burning line dance sessions are designed to address the lack of recreational and social outlets in Southeast Queens. Taught in a relaxed manner, partici-pants will experience the joy of line dances such as the Electric Slide, Wobble, as well as non-soul line dances. Ongoing, this mixed level line dance series requires no dance experience. For additional informa-tion, contact Barbara at (646) 229-0242 or [email protected].

Intermediate WordBuild upon your basic knowledge

of Microsoft Word by learning how to format documents and bibliogra-phies and insert tables, charts, head-ers and footers. Basic computer skills and knowledge of Word are required. Preregister online, in person at the Job Information Center or by phone at (718) 990-8625. The class code is CC200. The free workshop will be held at Queens Central Library at 10:30 a.m.

Craftsmen DaysWatch demonstrations of crafts

from the 1800s, like spinning, tin-smithing and broommaking. Enjoy traditional music performed on ham-mered dulcimer and fiddle. Take ad-vantage of discounted guided tours of King Manor. Craft demonstra-tions are free. The demonstrations will be held at the Rufus King Manor Museum from noon to 4 p.m. King Manor Museum is located at the intersection of 153rd Street and Ja-maica Avenue.

Intermediate ExcelImprove your productivity by

learning how to generate formulas and functions, create a home budget and store your personal and profes-sional data. Preregister online, in person at the Job Information Cen-ter or by phone at (718) 990-8625. Basic computer skill and knowledge of Excel are required. The class code is CC210. The free workshop will be held at the Queens Central Library at 2 p.m.

AUG. 19Skin Cancer Prevention and Education

Anyone, regardless of skin color, can get skin cancer. Mitchell Chorost, M.D., F.A.C.S. and director of surgi-cal oncology at New York Hospital Queens, will present information on

ways to protect yourself and your family from this disease. The work-shop is free and will be held at the Queens Central Library at 6 p.m.

AUG. 20Beginning Guitar

Tad Schaefer, graduate of Musi-cians Institute in Hollywood, CA and Queens College M.A. Jazz Performance, brings expertise and an innovative approach to teaching guitar. Bring your guitar and make some music. Space is limited and registration is required. This class meets every Tuesday for eight weeks. Customers are required to attend all sessions of this program. Register-ing for this event will reserve your spot for the entire program. The lessons are free and will be held at the Queens Central Library at 6:30 p.m.

AUG. 21Learning About LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking website that allows you to manage your professional identity, build and engage with your professional net-work and access knowledge, insights and opportunities. Learn how to use it to network, look for employment and keep up with colleagues. Basic computer skills and knowledge of the Internet are required. To regis-ter, call (718) 990-8625 or visit the Job Information Center. The Class code is JR210. The workshop will be held at the Queens Central Library at 6:30 p.m.

AUG. 22Do it Yourself Business Cards

Business cards can be a great way to stay in a new contacts mind. Learn how to create them with Mi-crosoft Publisher and leave with 10 of your own cards. Basic computer skills are required. To register, please call (718) 990-8625 or visit the Job Information Center. The class code is CC240. The free workshop will be held at the Queens Central Library at 10 a.m.

AUG 24 Ride 4 Justice

When Its Real, Its Forever is pleased to present Ride 4 Justice, a motorcycle, car and SUV motorcade. All auto clubs are welcome. Registra-tion starts at 10 a.m. at Baisley Pond Park Extension, located at the inter-section of 150th Street and North Conduit Avenue. Tickets are $5. For more information, contact Susan Parker at [email protected] or (516) 924-2902.

AUG 25St. Albans Annual Picnic

Bring your family and friends at the St. Albans Veterans Domicili-ary and New York State Veterans Home, located at the intersection of 179th Street and Linden Boule-vard. The picnic includes food, fun and refreshments. Entertainment is by The Wrenditions. The picnic will take place from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. To RSVP, call (718) 746-3160.

ONGOING SUMMER PROGRAMS9th Annual Jump and Ball Tourney

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Jamaica) announced that he will be kicking off the 9th Annual Jump and Ball summer tournament. The event, a basketball and

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