Volume 12 Issue No. 24 June 17-23, 2011

Online at www.QueensPress.com

I QUITEmbattled U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned Thursday, just 10 days after a tearful press conference where he admitted to sending lewd photos and messages to women he met on the internet. See Coverage…Page 3

Page 18

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News BriefsFree Wi-Fi In Parks

Queens parks will soon be connected.

In an effort to keep borough residents

surfing the net, Wi-Fi service will be intro-

duced to multiple City Parks, including

three in Queens.

On June 9, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and

AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall

Stephenson announced a five-year initia-

tive to provide Wi-Fi service at 26 loca-

tions in 20 City parks throughout the five

boroughs.

"We're pleased to join Mayor

Bloomberg and the New York City De-

partment of Parks & Recreation to bring

the convenience and benefits of Wi-Fi to

many of the city's world-renowned parks,"

Stephenson said.

The three borough parks scheduled to

be serviced by Wi-Fi are Flushing Mead-

ows Corona Park, Astoria Park and

MacDonald Park in Forest Hills.

"Park visitors will now have more op-

tions to surf the net while enjoying the

great outdoors of New York City's open

spaces," said Parks Commissioner

Adrian Benepe, who said he was pleased

with the partnership's five-borough

reach.

The introduction of Wi-Fi service to

New York City parks is part of Road Map

for the Digital City, Bloomberg's compre-

hensive strategy to make the Big Apple

the nation's leading digital city.

The initiative also aims to enhance the

City's engagement with New Yorkers by

increasing their access to new technolo-

gies, the intention is to make government

information and services more transpar-

ent while promoting the tech industry.

"New York City has the greatest net-

work of public parks in the world,"

Bloomberg said. "We've invested heavily

to expand and enhance them."

Stephenson assured users that the ser-

vice will be "reliable and very dependable."

Although free Wi-Fi service has been

introduced throughout the city in the past

at various commercial locations, such as

Starbucks and McDonalds, this initiative

is free to all city residents who own

laptop computers, smartphones and tab-

lets. Hotspot locations will be marked by

signs.

Users will not have to register and will

only have to agree to the term and condi-

tions of the AT&T service.

Although there is no specific date

schedule for connection, the Wi-Fi ser-

vice is expected to be installed at the

Queens locations this summer.

Fighting Meter Hike

Less than six months after the City

Council defeated a plan to raise parking

meter rates, they are regrouping to do it

again.

The Dept. of Transportation quietly

announced last week that it would seek

to raise parking meters from 75 cents an

hour to $1 an hour outside of Manhattan.

The rate hike is part of Mayor Mike

Bloomberg's budget plan released last

month.

The announcement led outer-borough

Council members like Karen Koslowitz

(D-Forest Hills) to slam the plan that

would affect hundreds of parking meters

in her district, which includes commer-

cial strips like Jamaica Avenue, Austin

Street and Yellowstone Boulevard.

"It is unconscionable," Koslowtiz said.

Small businesses in Forest Hills, Kew

Gardens and Elmhurst rely on customers

who park their cars at meters. She said

she feared increasing the price of meters

will drive people away from Austin Street

and Queens Boulevard to shopping malls

on Long Island.

The plan to raise parking meter rates

for this past January was met with stiff

opposition from members of the City

Council and business owners in neighbor-

hoods where businesses rely on shoppers

who park along the street. If the rates in-

crease, it would affect hundreds of meters

in Astoria, Flushing, Bayside, Jackson

Heights, Forest Hills , Ridgewood,

Woodhaven, Jamaica and Fresh Mead-

ows.

Koslowitz and Council Transportation

Committee chairman James Vacca (D-

Bronx) both promised to kill the planned

increase a second time. Both were instru-

mental in killing the planned increase in

December.

Vacca noted that the increase was

likely not necessary, as the amount of

money the city would raise with rates at

the current level would far exceed the

city's projected portion of the DOT bud-

get in 2012.

Calls To Save Fire Houses

Last Thursday, Bayside residents took

time from their protests and rallies to do

something different to try to save their

firehouse - and 19 others across the City

slated for closure in Mayor Mike

Bloomberg's budget.

Under the leadership of Community

Board 11 member Tom Meara, residents

and firefighters of Engine 306 in Bayside

held a phone bank at Bourbon Street Res-

taurant on Bell Boulevard; volunteers used

their own cell phones to call residents and

tell them how to voice their concerns

about the proposed closures.

Each volunteer and firefighter at the

event was given a list of names to call and

a sheet of paper briefly explaining what

to say when they call. It is a very simple

process that only takes about three min-

utes, Meara explained.

If they were able to get in touch with a

resident, they were told to tell them to

call 311, select the language preference

and press 0 when the recording starts to

list specific services, which will transfer

them to a live operator. Then tell the op-

erator "you want to register your concerns

over the closing of the 20 firehouses spe-

cifically, Engine 306."

"It is unfortunate that people can't

reach the mayor," he said.

If Engine 306 is closed, then response

time for local emergencies would increase

by two minutes, he said. In a area where

many senior citizens live, it is imperative

to have firefighters available at all times,

Meara said.

"Is it really worth $2 million in a $60

billion budget," he asked. "He's a mayor

that's out of touch."

People that will be affected firsthand

are the firefighters. Two firefighters of

Engine 306 who wished to remain anony-

mous, said they are infuriated that their

house along with 19 others could possi-

bly be closed.

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BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Officials and a legion of grocers and

employees from the last remaining dairy

farm in the City protested against

Starbucks’ plan to move its milk source

from Elmhurst Dairy to national conglom-

erate Dean Foods, which locally operates

Tuscan Dairy Farms, the No. 1 distributor

of milk in New York Metro region.

“Elmhurst Dairy is an invaluable institu-

tion in our City, not only as a provider of

dairy products for New Yorkers, but as a

long-time employer and good corporate

citizen,” said Councilman Leroy Comrie

(D-St. Albans). “Starbucks’ plan to move

the production of the milk supplied to

their stores out of New York City to a non-

union plant would potentially result in the

loss of hundreds of union jobs in South-

east Queens, which has long suffered from

unemployment.”

Elmhurst Dairy employs 702 people, of

which 252 work in the processing plant

headquartered in Jamaica; another 450

are commissioned for delivery and sup-

port operations. Rally attendees contend

that if Starbuck’s eliminates its contract,

Elmhurst Dairy will fold.

Starbucks refuted the claims that 702

people would be out of work.

“First and foremost, this move will re-

sult in no New York City job loss,” the

company wrote in a statement. Starbucks

referenced court documents in which its

New York based distributor, Bartlett, which

contracts milk sourcing through Elmhurst

Dairy, states that “If Elmhurst lost the

Starbucks volume it would not have to lay

anyone off, but rather it would merely cut

the substantial overtime it is currently giv-

ing its workers.”

“Elmhurst Dairy is the last vestige of

New York City’s agrarian past, and its

employees deliver fresh, local milk that

families depend on every day,” said Coun-

Starbucks Contract Snub Puts Squeeze On Dairy

BY JOSEPH OROVIC

AND DOMENICK RAFTER

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew

Gardens) resigned from Congress Thurs-

day, nearly two weeks after he tearfully

admitted to engaging in raunchy online

conversations with at least six women,

sending them photos of himself.

Weiner announced his resignation at a

senior center in Sheepshead Bay, Brook-

lyn, where he launched his career in public

service nearly 20 years ago when he ran,

and won, a seat on the New York City

Council representing Southern Brooklyn.

“I’m here to apologize for the personal

mistakes I have made and the embarrass-

ment that I have caused,” Weiner said.

He added that “the distraction I cre-

ated has made” representing his constitu-

ents in Congress “impossible.”

Weiner was greeted with shouts of “We

love you” when he walked into the room,

but was heckled with yells of “pervert” as

he announced his resignation. He took no

questions at the press conference and was

not joined by his wife, Huma Abedin, a top

aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Few have come to the Rep’s side in the last

week, as President Barack Obama and House

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California)

both suggested Weiner step down.

“I can tell you that if it was me, I would

resign,” Obama said in an interview with

NBC. “I think he’s embarrassed himself.

He’s acknowledged that. He embarrassed

his wife and his family. Ultimately, there’s

going to be a decision for him and his

constituents.”

Other members of the Queens delega-

tion refused to defend him and expressed

regret at his resignation.

“This is a sad day,” said U.S. Rep.

Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), “but Anthony

has made the right decision for himself, his

family and the Democratic Party. He will

be sorely missed by me and his constitu-

ents. I wish him the best.”

“I’m sorry it has come to this, but I think

it’s best for both him and his family and for

the Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn

Maloney (D-Astoria). “While the disclo-

sures of his behavior have been incredibly

disappointing, I’m going to choose to re-

member all the good things he’s done for

his district and our city.”

Weiner’s successor will likely be cho-

sen by a special election to be called by

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but with redistrict-

ing only a few months away, Weiner’s

successor could be representing a district

that will not exist in the 2012 elections.

A special election would take place

between 70 and 80 days after Gov. Cuomo

calls for one. Two state assembly seats

within in the 9th district are currently

vacant since the resignations of Nettie

Mayersohn and Audrey Pheffer, and a

special election for Congress could coin-

cide with those special elections, which

have not yet been called by the governor.

A likely date would be Sept. 13, the same

day as the citywide primary.

Another, more unlikely option, is for

the seat to remain vacant and a successor

chosen in the regular November election,

allowing for September primaries.

“The Governor will take the appropri-

ate steps to ensure New Yorkers in the 9th

district are fairly represented in Congress,”

Gov. Cuomo’s office said in a statement.

Among the potential candidates who

could run for the seat: former Council-

woman Melinda Katz, who narrowly lost

to Weiner in the 1998 Democratic pri-

mary for the seat; Councilman Mark

Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens); former

Councilman Eric Gioia; or Assemblyman

Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest). Republicans

may look to Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-

Ozone Park). Politico reported on Wednes-

day that former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has

spoken to Ulrich about running.

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at

jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 127.

Weiner Resigns:

Vacates Office In Wake Of Scandal

cilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton). “If

we were to lose Elmhurst, we face the very

real possibility of milk shortages and sky

rocketing prices as milk becomes a rare

and precious commodity. Further, we add

to New York’s growing unemployment

rolls in a time of economic uncertainty,

climbing gas prices, fewer jobs, and more

stress than ever on our local businesses,

residents, and families.”

The Starbucks contract is only 10 per-

cent of Elmhurst’s overall business, ac-

cording to the coffee giant, and Elmhurst

Dairy failed to participate in the RFP

process last fall as Starbucks sought to re-

bid for its milk.

“We awarded the business to another

dairy in New York State that submitted a

bid,” the release reads.

The company has provided Starbucks

with processed milk since 2003, and has a

contract with Bartlett that runs through

2013, which Bartlett said it would honor.

“It is imperative that we support local

proprietors of our community in order for

them to expand, grow and flourish,” said

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Jamaica). “I

encourage Starbucks to remain invested in

Elmhurst Dairy which is a part of New

York’s business community. I am prepared

to explore the use of state resources to find

a solution.”

The owner of Elmhurst Dairy hopes for

a change of heart.

“Elmhurst Dairy provides well-paying

jobs to hundreds of New Yorkers and

provides the milk that has literally fed

generations of the City’s residents,” said

Henry Schwartz, Elmhurst Dairy owner

and president. “As a locally based busi-

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Veterans and the St. Albans commu-

nity may soon get their wish to stop the

Enhanced Use Lease Process at the St.

Albans Community Living Center.

An amendment, attached to the Mili-

tary Construction and Veterans Affairs

and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

of 2012, passed in the U.S. House of

Representatives 411 to 5. The amend-

ment, which was introduced by Congress-

men Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) and Peter

King (R-Nassau), would stop the preferred

developer, St. Albans Village, from build-

ing a new facility mirroring the existing

center and leasing 25 acres of land for 75

years.

“The passing of this legislation with the

inclusion of my bipartisan amendment is a

big win for veterans in my district and

Bill Stopping VA Plans Passes House

Many of the plan’s detractors contend

that the VA’s plan is outdated and does

not meet the needs of the veterans or the

St. Albans community.

“For seven years now, the Dept. of

Veterans Affairs has pursued a perhaps

well - intentioned, but a stubbornly

wrongheaded plan for the St. Albans pri-

mary and extended care facility, which is

located in the county of Queens,” said U.S.

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside). “I am

very concerned that the VA is proceeding

full speed ahead with its plans to lease

property currently dedicated exclusively

for veterans.”

The bill will move onto the Senate and

Meeks hopes the bill will become law by

the end of the month.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

veterans across Metropolitan New York,”

Meeks said. “By having the amendment

included in this bill, it will prevent the

fabric of my community from being de-

stroyed by the creation of high-density

residential and retail developments.”

The VA center has been at the heart of

a tug of war between veterans and the

Veterans Administration. Veterans insist

the site should house a full-service hospi-

tal and the VA’s current plan includes

replacing the existing facilities with a

new nursing home, psychosocial rehabili-

tation domiciliary and expanded outpa-

tient facilities. The 25 acres garnered to

the developer is slated for about 1,000

units in a jazz-themed neighborhood com-

plete with a jazz plaza and enhanced

train station.

As of press time, the VA had not re-

turned calls for comment.

ness, Elmhurst Dairy aligns closely with

the principles of social responsibility that

Starbucks claims are its hallmark.”

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

Elected officials and Dairy workers rally at

City Hall to urge Starbucks to keep using

milk from the Jamaica processing plant.

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BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Though Resorts World New York ca-

sino initiated a new on-site employment

center, there is a community faction ques-

tioning whether or not enough has been

done to outfit Southeast Queens residents

with jobs.

“The opening of this on-site employ-

ment center has flooded the area with

great excitement and optimism,” said

Michael Speller, President of Resorts

World Casino New York. “Our hiring

process is about building a hardworking,

diverse and local Resorts World

workforce.”

But while Leroy Gadsden, NAACP Ja-

maica president, commended the com-

pany for the employment center, but said

the Resorts World has not negotiated in

good faith with the community. He con-

tends that the employment center is in

response to the NAACP’s constant ha-

ranguing of the company to the media.

There are three demands Gadsden said

Resorts World needs to meet: 25 percent

of permanent and construction jobs set

aside for Southeast Queens residents; a

special training facility to prepare resi-

dents for management positions; and hir-

ing an equal opportunity officer. Gadsden

said the company has not complied with

the organization’s demands. He said the

NAACP’s stipulations are legitimate and it

is common business practice for a commu-

nity to benefit from a large corporation.

NAACP Demands More SEQ Hires

“They have a moral obligation, for that

which they tear down and destroy, they

have to build up,” he said.

He said the only community stake hold-

ers that have had a limited involvement

with Resorts World are residents in Com-

munity Board 10.

“More than Community Board 10 would

be involved with the negative impact of the

casino,” Gadsden said, adding that illicit

activity will rise throughout Community

Boards 12 and 13 because of the casino.

“Community Board 12 and 13 have been

ignored and left out of the process.”

Gadsden charges that Resorts World

has not hired a decision maker from the

affected communities.

“We hope the community realizes just

how disrespectful this company is being,”

he said.

To quell the NAACP’s claims, Stefan

Friedman, a spokesman for Resorts

World’s parent company Genting, said

contractor Tutor Perini has awarded $50

million in sub-contracts to minority- and

women-owned businesses, 54 percent of

project’s workforce are minority and fe-

male workers, and MWBE-certified sub-

Resorts World officials enter into a labor agreement with local unions to ensure equality in

hiring practices at the groundbreaking for the Aqueduct casino.

contractors and suppliers stand at 25% of

total contracts awarded to date.

Anthony Gellineau, a member of the

South Ozone Park Civic Association West,

disagrees with the notion that Resorts

World has not engaged the surrounding

community.

“From day one they have met with us,”

he said.

Gellineau said detractors of Resorts

World are out of bounds.

“They met with Genting with a five

page document with 25 demands,” he

said. “How do you meet someone for the

first time and come with demands?”

He said instituting a casino at aqueduct

has been a lengthy process.

“Where were they when MGM had the

contract?” he asked. “Where were they

when we were trying to get money to keep

the whole thing going? We have been

there for the past 20 years.”

Betty Braton, Community Board 10

chairwoman, said the NAACP has never

contacted the board to discuss their con-

cerns.

Braton supports Gellineau in his char-

acterization of the company.

“Genting has been extremely forth-

coming about their desire to hire locally,”

she said. “There are plenty of people who

are working there already who are from the

local area.”

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

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BY DOMENICK RAFTER

All of Queens' State Senators are in

support of marriage equality and a final

vote is expected before the end of the

week as activists on both sides jockey to

lobby the final undecided Senators.

State Sens. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica)

and Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach)

who both voted "no" in 2009 have

switched their vote in support, along with

fellow Democrat Carl Kruger (D-Brook-

lyn), another 2009 "no" vote. Huntley and

Addabbo both said there were significant

shifts in support among constituents in

their districts.

"The numbers have changed," Huntley

said at a press conference Monday an-

nouncing her support. Her district, she

said, is 60/40 in favor.

Addabbo said more than 6,000 con-

stituents wrote or called his office on the

issue. Of those, more than 4,800 of them

were in support.

Both have said their "no" votes in 2009

were based on surveys of their districts

that showed their constituents against,

but that has changed.

Their votes mean 29 of the State

Senate's 30 Democrats, including all seven

Queens Senators, are now in support of

the bill, with only Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-

Bronx) in opposition. They were joined by

two Upstate Republicans, Sen. Jim Alesi

(R-Rochester) and Sen. Roy McDonald

(R-Saratoga Springs) leaving the measure

just one vote shy of passing as of Wednes-

Addabbo, Huntley Flip As Vote Nearsday. The bill passed the Assembly by a vote

of 80-63 Wednesday night with most of

Queens' members voting for it.

"Years from now, I'm still going to be

proud of this vote," said freshman Assem-

blyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside), who

voted yes.

Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-For-

est Hills) injected some humor into the

debate, noting that legalizing same-sex

marriage meant many of his

friends will soon have wed-

dings, requiring him to buy

them gifts.

"I swore an oath to up-

hold the constitution....it is

our duty to make sure all

citizens are treated equally.

Period," he said before vot-

ing yes.

Meanwhile, Gov. An-

drew Cuomo met with Re-

publicans on Monday to

push the bill.

"I believe the votes will

be there for marriage equality," Gov.

Cuomo said.

But some potential "yes" votes from the

GOP side are already gone. Long Island

Republicans Chuck Fuschillo, Jack Mar-

tins and Kemp Hannon have announced

they would oppose the bill, as has Sen.

Betty Little (R-Glens Falls), and freshman

Sen. Greg Ball (R-Hudson Valley). The

other potential "yes" votes, Andrew Lanza

(R-Staten Island), Steven Saland (R-

Poughkeepsie), and Mark Gristani (R-Buf-

falo), who represents a very Democratic

district, were still undecided as of Wednes-

day. Advocates in favor of marriage equal-

ity who have been tallying votes say there

are anywhere from three to seven Repub-

licans still on the fence.

Republicans are feeling the heat from

the state's powerful Conservative Party,

whose ballot lines Republicans often need

to win elections. State Conservative Party

chairman Michael Long has

warned he would pull his

party's support for any Re-

publican who voted for the

bill, but that feeling hasn't

been echoed by some Con-

servative Party county chairs,

who will ultimately have con-

trol over who gets party sup-

port next year. Also, the anti-

gay-marriage group New

Yorkers For Constitutional

Freedoms is threatening

Senate Majority Leader

Dean Skelos with potential

third-party general election challenges if he

even brings the bill up for a vote. Arch-

bishop Timothy Dolan spoke in staunch

opposition on Tuesday, comparing same-

sex marriage to government intervention

into families in totalitarian countries.

"Last time I consulted an atlas, it is clear

we are living in New York, in the United

States of America - not in China or North

Korea," he said. "In those countries, gov-

ernment presumes daily to 'redefine' rights,

relationships, values, and natural law."

In the meantime, activists are continu-

ing the push, with same-sex marriage sup-

porters like New York Ranger Sean Avery

and actress Cynthia Nixon headed to Al-

bany to lobby the final undecided votes,

and organizations like New York Young

Democrats holding phone banks to keep

public pressure on the undecided legisla-

tors. Pro-marriage equality clergy held a

rally Tuesday in Rochester, in Sen. Alesi's

district, to offer him support. Former State

GOP Chairman Alexander Treadwell, who

ran against now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for

her Upstate House seat in 2008, also called

on Senate Republicans to not only hold a

vote, but vote yes, on marriage equality.

"I strongly encourage our fellow Repub-

licans to allow a vote and to let individual

Senators vote their conscience as Sen.

Skelos has suggested," Treadwell said. "I

believe that when they do, Republicans

will help make history and enact the free-

dom to marry in New York State."

Should it pass, New York would be the

sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage

and the largest. It would also mark the first

time such a bill passed a Republican-con-

trolled legislative chamber.

Marriage equality is one of the major

pieces of legislation Albany is tackling in

the final days of the session. The legislature

is also working on reauthorizing rent regu-

lations and passing a property tax cap, a

major priority of Senate Republicans.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

State Sen. Shirley Huntley

In Our Opinion:In Our Opinion:

OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

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Reporters:

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Associate Publisher

Holding Our Breath

Editorial LettersP

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Letters

A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

First and foremost – we thank and congratulate Sens. Shirley Hunt-

ley and Joe Addabbo for changing their position on gay marriage. The

two were the only remaining Queens Democrats who had previously

voted against gay marriage; this week they said they changed their minds.

Yes, we recognize that they perceived the issue to be in opposition of

their constituents, and we are glad to see that the people they represent

spoke up in great numbers to convince them to change their position.

We certainly realize that this is not a fait accompli. As of printing,

there were only 31 Senators committed to voting in favor of granting

members of the LGBT community the right to marry one another; 32

are needed, and a vote was expected by Friday.

This newspaper has taken great pride in championing what we feel is

the basic equality of civil rights for all New Yorkers. If, indeed, the

measure does pass, it will be a historic day in New York – and one of

celebration here in Queens, home to one of the largest organized gay

communities on the East Coast.

We patiently await the vote of the Senate. Do the right thing. We all

should be equal.

Resign Now

To The Editor:

I write with sadness not anger.

The congressman from Forest

Hills Gardens has become a na-

tional laughing stock. The tab-

loid newspapers have published

unsavory disgusting photos of

female friends of Anthony Weiner

on Twitter.

In the early 1980s, Nita Lowey

represented us who lived here in

Parkway Village. On a snowy Sun-

day morning in January, her con-

gressional staff set up a table in

our supermarket on Union Turn-

pike. Her staff asked her constitu-

ents what help was needed. An-

thony Weiner does not reply to a

letter. I had Joe Crowley’s staff

send a letter to Weiner’s staff just

to please get an answer on ques-

tions of veterans’ entitlement.

As a registered Democrat in

Queens for 40 years, I demand

Weiner resign. Let him run in a

special election to vindicate him-

self.

Ryan Hayes,

Jamaica

Betrayed

To The Editor:

We have learned a lot about

Congressman Anthony Weiner

over the past few weeks. While it

troubles me to see a human being

publicly humiliated over a self-

imposed scandal, the issues here

go well beyond what Weiner does

in his private life. The core prob-

lem is repeated dishonesty and

shameless hypocrisy.

Putting aside the creepiness

of his actions, Congressman

Weiner has shown himself to be

untrustworthy and therefore un-

fit to serve. Weiner betrayed his

trust and lied to the media and his

constituents. Only after his clear

involvement was exposed, did he

confess and claim to accept re-

sponsibility. However, he contin-

ued to lie, claiming he did not use

government resources in the scan-

dal, or coach anyone else to lie.

New evidence suggests he did

indeed coach a woman on how to

mislead the press and even of-

fered the assistance of a Congres-

sional staff PR expert.

General House Ethics Rules

state that all members of the

House must conduct themselves

at all times in a manner that re-

flects credibility on the House. It

also states that members should

not in any way use their office for

private gain. Nor should they at-

tempt to circumvent any House

rule or standard of conduct.

When it became apparent in

Washington that Weiner’s viola-

tions of House rules are signifi-

cant, Nancy Pelosi and the Demo-

cratic leadership team began call-

ing for his resignation. Once a

representative has lost the confi-

dence of his own party leaders,

he is no longer capable of serving

the best interests of his constitu-

ents, regardless of the situation.

Many people have argued that

although Weiner lied and broke

house rules, he is not guilty of

breaking the law. But let’s con-

sider the scandal in this way…

any private citizen would be fired

from their position if they be-

haved in a similar way. Shouldn’t

our elected officials be held to the

same standards of behavior as

ordinary citizens?

Congressman Weiner is a

tragic example of how power

corrupts. When a leader is willing

to cheat, lie, blame and mislead

people in order to hold onto

power, then that individual’s

power does not serve the people

and his power must be revoked.

The issue is not whether for-

giveness can be offered to some-

one who has erred in the public

eye. But I believe Weiner has be-

trayed the public trust past the

point of being able to function in

this position.

Congressman Weiner must re-

sign.

Bob Turner,

Howard Beach

The 2012 Presidential Cam-

paign finally got underway earlier

this week with the first Republi-

can debate. It was a bit of a yawn,

but it did serve up an array of

candidates to represent the party

going into fall 2012’s general elec-

tion.

Mitt Romney, the presumed

front-runner, has done this be-

fore while running for governor

of Massachusetts and for presi-

dent in 2008, so he handled him-

self well, as expected.

Tim Pawlenty, whose best shot

was as John McCain’s running

mate, which never happened,

proved he belongs in the lineup.

Still, he didn’t wipe the floor with

anyone.

Congressman Ron Paul, who

also ran last time, is a quirky sort

of perpetual candidate and you’re

not quite sure what to make of

him. But he’s nobody’s fool. He

hung in for a long time last time

out and had people talking.

Former House Speaker Newt

Gingrich was knowledgeable and

able but won’t get very far. There

has already been an exodus of

campaign staffers and a jewelry

store snafu. His time has come

and gone; and he won’t get much

traction.

Ex Pizza CEO Herman Cain

seems to be hoping he’ll be the

Republican alternative to Presi-

dent Obama. Only trouble is, most

black voters are registered Demo-

crats and not too many will switch

party allegiance to vote for “alter-

native to Obama.” Nonetheless,

it is good to have him in the race.

He’s no Barack Obama, but he

still held his own. He’s a political

novice who will learn a lot for his

next venture, which won’t be a

presidential race.

There were others of course,

but the one who stole the show

was the lone woman, Michelle

Bachmann. The Tea Party dar-

ling from Minnesota proved she

can definitely handle herself in

the ultimate boys’ club. In fact,

she was a revelation.

It is delightful to see the rela-

tive diversity of an African-Ameri-

can and a woman in the lineup;

and greater yet to see that they

were not there for comic relief.

But in terms of sheer potential,

Bachman was the more interest-

ing of the two. Certainly she beats

Cain on legislative experience and

name recognition. He has nei-

ther.

But hot on the heels of Hillary

Rodham Clinton’s historic run

for president and Sarah Palin’s

zany run for vice president with

McCain, Bachman garnered a lot

of interest and will have gotten

the most mileage out of this first

debate.

In terms of the potential for

popularity, she could well be the

Palin-with-gravitas candidate for

Republican women voters and

Tea Party zealots. It is also not

outside the realm of possibility

that women will cross party lines

to vote for her if she proves she

can go the distance.

Bachmann, a former state sena-

tor and the mother of five who

has foster-mothered some 23

children, is going to appeal to

women across the spectrum.

An attorney by profession,

Bachmann has said, “I don’t

change what I say based on politi-

cal winds and desire.”

We haven’t known her long

enough to make a fair assess-

ment of that statement, but if she

makes it all the way to the first

primary next spring, we will have

plenty of time to find out for

ourselves.

Unlike Hillary, Bachman

comes with less presumed bag-

gage. However, she can be acer-

bic and that could turn off voters.

Still, it’s encouraging to have a

woman in the race who is at least

as viable as any of the better male

candidates in the line up.

It should help to make the

next 18 months worth tuning in

to. It would also be fun to see her

go up against the Obama jugger-

naut, should she score the nomi-

nation. He would defeat her but

women have fought for the right

to compete fairly whether it leads

to a win or not.

Ah politics, such a great alter-

native for those who don’t watch

a lot of sports!

Birth Of A New Woman Candidate For President

Send your thoughts, ideas,

opinions, outrage, praise,

observations about our

community

To the PRESS of Southeast Queens

150-50 14th Rd.

Whitestone, NY 11357

e-mail:news@queenspress.com

fax: (718) 357-9417

SOUND OFF

Sorry, I Can’t Resist: Weiner No Longer Cocky

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

By MICHAEL SCHENKLERWow!I’d love to utilize the near-tragic

situation of Congressman AnthonyWeiner to get some chuckles – andI’m sure I will occasionally veer frommy serious message – but from thetime the news of Weinergate firstbroke to this moment, there areserious consequences for our na-tion wrapped up in this small Con-gressional member and his inap-propriate adventures.

First, a disclosure. I’ve knownAnthony Weiner since he was aBrooklyn Councilman running tosucceed Chuck Schumer in hisBrooklyn-Queens congressionalseat some 13 years ago. I’ve inter-viewed him several times; sat andtalked to him one-on-one a smallhandful of times and enter tainedhim (and a couple of hundred otherfriends) at the Trib Holiday party.I found on most occasions that wewould spar – a good-natured intel-lectual challenging about small de-grees of difference.

I always enjoyed the time I

spent with Anthony but never re-ally developed a friendship as Ihave with others who have beenin the political game for a longtime.

Secondly, his brother’s restau-

rant Almond, in Bridgehampton isone of my favorite places to dine.If support ing Anthony throughthis crisis would get me a tablewithout a rezzy in the summer, Imay be able to be bought. And ifbro Jason brings back the Satur-day night five-course tasting menu,I’m in.

Finally, all I want for Anthony

and our country is justice andequality. I want standards thatapply to him to apply toCharlie Rangel and every othermember of Congress.

I do not want to see thepuritanical roots of this nationin the far-off Midwest dictate tomy County, my City that youcan’t deviate slightly from ac-ceptable sexual mores or sexualbehavior without resigning, butcriminal misconduct doesn’t riseto the same heights. At themoment, Carl Kruger, a corruptindicted State Senator, sits inoffice. As I recall, popular U.S.Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, whorepresented a poor working classdistrict in Chicago from 1958to 1995 and served 13 years aschairman of the Ways andMeans Committee, was allowed toremain in office although he resignedhis chairmanship, while under Fed-eral indictment on mail fraudcharges. Rosty lost his seat whenthe voters refused to reelect him.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,

my friend Democratic CampaignCongressional Commit tee chairSteve Israel of Long Island, andDemocratic National chair DebbieWasserman-Schultz in a coordi-nated effor t have cal led forWeiner’s resignat ion – for thewrong reasons. Their concern isnot good government. Their con-cern is that the Republicans willutilize Anthony’s insane onlineconduct and contrast it with thequick resignation of upstate bare-chested emailing CongressmanChris Lee to point out that theDemocrats do not hold their mem-bers (excuse me) to the same stan-dards as the Republicans.

Now, I am not defending orcondoning Anthony’s behavior. Icondemn it. However, this aberrantbehavior is a personal failing andas long as it is not criminal, heshould and can remain in office. Ul-timately, his constituents shouldmake the decision.

His district should not be thetarget of the map-drawers whenthe anti-good-government politicalredistricting process takes place.

Anthony should be given thetime to heal himself and his fam-ily, seek therapy, all while he gets

Congressman Anthony Weiner and Trib

Publisher Mike Schenkler during better

times for Weiner.

back to work. He should be al-lowed to continue his impres-sive fight for those thingsprogressives of this nation be-lieve in.

And his party should notbuckle under the pressure ofthe right wing of the Republi-can Party, but should stand upand demand: let he who iswithout sin cast the first stone.

Damn, if we were gettingrid of every imperfect memberof Congress (especially thosewho lied about their imperfec-tion), Joe Crowley would findthe halls of the Capitol a verylonely place.

On the advice front, myposition has not changed andI wish I had written this andAnthony read it when the

story first broke. I now offer An-thony the following advice – I wishhe could have taken it before thelying began.

Anthony should acknowledgehis personal fai l ings, explainsexting as an addiction – an illness,and obtain professional help. Yes,Anthony has an ego that has pre-vented him from resorting to the“illness” explanation. But come on— putt ing a likely Mayoralty injeopardy for a couple of onlinethrills is a sickness.

Admit it. Get treatment. Re-build the confidence of your wife.And heal yourself.

Our nation is a very forgivinglot. Bill Clinton is still our idol.

I returned Saturday night, af-ter writing this column, from a dayout and dinner at Almond, to findthat Anthony had asked for a shortleave to seek professional treat-ment to become “a better husbandand healthier person.”

He’s on the right road.Now, Anthony, can you get

me that table at Almond?(This column was written on Satur-day, well before Anthony Weiner re-signed on Thursday afternoon.)MSchenkler@QueensPress.com

By Rev. Dr. CALVIN RICEOur communities here have

been devastated by unemploymentand home foreclosures. The aban-doned storefronts and crowded em-ployment services centers are con-stant reminders of Queens’ harsheconomic climate. At a time whenour residents are facing such tre-mendous economic peril, we needall the help we can get, par ticu-larly when we have seen few indi-cations that our economic situa-tion is changing for the better.

Therefore when someonemakes the decision to invest hun-dreds of millions of dollars in ourcommunity like Resor t s WorldCasino New York has done, weshould be fair and considerate; evenwhen it goes against our personalideology, political and religiousbeliefs.

Throughout the years I’vewatched numerous developerspromise to fairly distribute jobs tolocal minority and women work-ers, only to be disappointed whenall that talk failed to amount to anyreal action. Thankfully, the samecannot be said about Resor tsWorld.

I say this because on a recentsite visit I saw firsthand the realityof their commitment to subcon-tracting Minority Women OwnedBusiness Enterprises (MWBE’s) andhaving a diverse staff at the facil-ity. In fact, when Resorts Worldclaims that 25% of subcontracts orMWBE’s and that minorities andwomen make up more than halfof the work force for the project it

matches what I saw as Iwalked the site and spokewith countless men andwomen of African descentin particular.

If Re sor ts World’scommitment to diversityin its constructionworkforce is any indica-tion of what its perma-nent staff will be like, I amvery confident that thechronic unemploymentand lack of economic for-tune that has plagued usfor so long wil l star t to wane. With the 1,150 permanent posi-tions that will be available at thefacility, and the countless spilloverjobs that will be created in thecommunity as a result of ResortsWorld’s arrival, this is a projectwith economic benefits that willstretch far beyond the grounds ofthe Aqueduct Racetrack. And, thisis a project that is presenting eco-nomic oppor tunit ies t hat wewould be ill-advised to overlook.

As a community, we have tomeet this type of commitmentwith a cooperative spirit, sendinga message to others contemplat-ing making the type of investmentResorts World has that Queens isopen for business, and that wehave the talent pool right here inSouth Queens to make any ven-ture succe ssful. The Resor t sWorld project can be the modelproject, leading the way for oth-ers such as the Delta project, thecontinued revitalization of Down-town Jamaica, the Sutphin Bou-

levard project andthe arrival of an-other accreditedcollege, TechnicalCareer Institute(TCI).

To be clear, asthe pastor of one ofthe largest Baptistchurches in Queensand a leader in theN YS ProgressiveBaptist ConventionI do not in any way

support gambling because I haveseen some of the negative effectsit has had on some who becomeobsessed with greed and lose theirlife savings.

Our great challenge will be togain the benefits of employment,and enjoy the family friendly aspectsof the project such as the diningand enter tainment features thathave been carefully isolated fromthe casino which is in the centerof the facility and leave the gam-ing which is the profitability of theproject to the tourist and thosewho can best afford it.

Resorts World has informedme that they are working with theNew York Council on Problem Gam-bling to train their staff on prob-lem gambling, and to provide as-sistance for anyone with a gamblingproblem.

Rev. Dr. Calvin Rice is pastorat the New Jerusalem BaptistChurch in Jamaica, Queens and theFirst Vice President of the NewYork State Progressive BaptistConvention.

Resorts World:The Right Partner for Queens

Dr. Calvin Rice

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BY JOSEPH OROVIC

The battle over Willets Point’s rede-

velopment reached its highest technical

peak at a public hearing regarding the

plan’s oft-lambasted ramps leading to and

from the Van Wyck Expressway. The road-

way additions have driven the case

against the project for more than a year.

The hearing, held last Wednesday, was

most notable for what it lacked: atten-

dance was sparse, about 50 people in to-

tal; passions were tempered; and a some-

what subdued tone overtook most of the

project’s adamant opponents. It was a

far cry from last winter’s hearing regard-

ing Phase 1 of the redevelopment, which

brought out workers and landowners op-

posing the project with red-faced anger,

damning the New York City Economic

Development Corp. and its planned use

of eminent domain.

Last weeks’ hearing, held in the Flush-

ing Library, offered a second chance at

more salvos against the NYCEDC and

its plans. Yet most involved have seem-

ingly resigned themselves to letting court-

rooms, agency approvals and legal filings

be the stage for the battle. The fate of

Willets Point may ultimately, and without

much fanfare, rest in the hands of num-

ber-crunching traffic gurus.

The Road To The Ramps

The lead-up to Wednesday’s hearing

provides an abject lesson in the density,

scope and epic mountain of red tape re-

quired to slap new ramps around Flush-

ing Bay. It’s a three-year odyssey of com-

peting reports, varying math formulas and

legal gamesmanship. What emerges is a

veritable chess match, with leading op-

position group Willets Point United and

the EDC playing an exhausting series of

countermoves based on the ramps.

As the plan to redevelop Willets Point

wound its way through the Uniform Land

Use Review Procedure in 2008, the City

Council’s ultimate stamp of approval in-

cluded the plan’s Final Generic Environ-

mental Impact Statement (FGEIS). The

report mapped out the potential traffic

impact of the project, as well as the ramps’

role in easing any congestion.

At the outset, WPU latched onto the

ramps as the potential linchpin to any

challenges of the project. The interchange

between the Grand Central Parkway and

the Whitestone and Van Wyck Express-

ways already presented a nightmare of

congestion at peak rush hours. The City

presented a bleak picture of the ramps’

ability to ease traffic in the surrounding

local roads, WPU argued, with the added

congestion of a planned monolithic

mixed-use redevelopment of the 62-acre

Iron Triangle. The City Council approved

the plan regardless.

A subsequent legal challenge initiated

by WPU lived a short life in court but still

achieved some success. The EDC prom-

ised Judge Joan Madden it would not

employ eminent domain until the ramp

plan was fully approved, marrying the con-

troversial land acquisition technique to

the State Dept. of Transportation and

Federal Highway Administration’s OK. It

was as good an outcome as WPU could

hope for. The group steadfastly believed

the ramps were a fool’s errand, the

EDC’s figures were f lawed at best, and

no state agency would ever approve the

plan.

Initially, the gambit appeared to work.

Emails acquired by WPU through freedom

of information requests showed State

DOT’s engineers were skeptical about the

ramps’ traffic-saving ability. WPU felt as-

sured the ramps’ lack of approval could

keep the project tied up in agency offices

and red tape, effectively leaving eminent

domain off the table for the foreseeable

future. But EDC screwed their hopes

cross-eyed when it segmented the project

into phases.

The first chunk to be redeveloped fell

outside the auspices of the proposed

ramps, the agency argued, and therefore

did not require DOT approval. The 22-

acre chunk of land, with nine landown-

ers still not selling to the City, began a

public review process required for the use

of eminent domain.

WPU contended the fragmented ap-

proach was meant to sidestep EDC’s

promises to Judge Madden while lending

the redevelopment an air of inevitability.

The agency said the switch was a

byproduct of a rough financial climate,

making a singular developer undertaking

the entire mammoth project difficult, de-

spite receiving 29 responses to its initial

Request for Qualifications for the project.

The initiation of the public review pro-

cess opened a door for legal challenges,

and WPU charged through it, with two

lawsuits aimed at halting the EDC’s

march to redevelopment without the

ramps’ approval, while also questioning

the legality of the project as a whole.

WPU’s plans took a second hit when

Where Are The Cars?

the ramps made it

past the DOT.

Though lacking the

state agency’s final

endorsement, the

plan was sent out for

public review. EDC

welcomed the move

as a signal of the

ramps’ imminent ap-

proval. WPU con-

tended the DOT’s

new commissioner

and former EDC

Transportation Vice

President Joan

McDonald was re-

turning favors to her

former employer.

Part of the pend-

ing approval process

requires an environmental assessment, a

draft of which EDC put together in

March. The report addresses the impact

on surrounding highways. It concludes,

“The proposed access modification

project would be necessary to prevent sig-

nificant congestion on these freeway seg-

ments within the study area.”

That draft EA, held alongside the

FGEIS, provided a morphing depiction

of the ramps’ impact, according to WPU.

The group enlisted Brian Ketcham, a

Brooklyn-based transportation engineer

with a history of being a pain in the City’s

backside (he effectively killed Westway,

the Koch era’s massive West Side High-

way proposal). Ketcham’s number

crunching and colorful assertions have

become the dogma behind WPU’s oppo-

sition. His reports, the most recent a 286-

page rebuttal of the draft EA, amount to

the group’s sacred text.

Same Math,

Different Results

Should the redevelopment of Willets

Point go through as planned, all roads

within a two-mile radius would become a

hellhole of steady brake lights, honking

horns and an incapacitated mass transit

system, according to Ketcham.

“They’re essentially proposing the larg-

est shopping mall in the city,” he said.

“The impact on the surrounding local ac-

cess roads is so horrendous. They low-

balled the traffic, they have overstated

the impact of transit. These folks are play-

ing games with the numbers.”

Ketcham’s point lies in the differences

between gridlocked hell depicted in

2008’s FGEIS and smooth driving por-

trayed in the draft EA, both prepared by

engineering firm AKRF. According to

Ketcham’s submission, the latter hides

many of the flaws laid bare in the FGEIS,

underreporting the estimated car trips by

as much as 100 percent.

The gulf between the FGEIS and draft

EA can easily be explained by competing

formulas, according to the EDC’s dense,

three-paragraph response to Ketcham’s

assertions

“[The draft EA], which is more re-

gional in its approach, and focused on

highway systems, uses different model-

ing procedures for forecasting future traf-

fic volumes,” the agency said. “In con-

trast, the FGEIS analysis conservatively

assigned vehicles according to the most

direct route between their origins and des-

tinations. Both approaches are appropri-

ate and represent industry-standard pro-

tocol for evaluating traffic.”

While the FGEIS states half of the

Iron Triangle’s auto traffic would use the

Van Wyck Expressway, the latest EA low-

ers the figure to one third. An estimated

2,000 cars were not reassigned to local

roads in the report , according to

Ketcham, showing “operating conditions

on local roads that are better than re-

ported in the FGEIS despite carrying 26

percent more Willets Point trips. More

trips, lower impacts: it is mysterious why

EDC thinks anyone will believe this.”

Ketcham claims the EDC’s reports

willfully ignore the ongoing development

within Downtown Flushing, with the likes

of Flushing Commons, the RKO Keith’s,

Skyview Parc and other big ticket projects

adding to traffic congestion.

“They just don’t complete all the cal-

culations,” he said. “My analysis does.

The frustration for someone like me is

where is the planning? Where is the

upfront analysis? They will build it and

nobody will come because they can’t get

into or out of it. Or the whole area will be

gridlocked.”

Ace Up Their Sleeve

Ketcham’s latest rebuttal to a City-

produced report will play a major role in

any lawsuits challenging the planned

ramps, including a case returning to Judge

Madden’s court.

“If the court rules [it] does have juris-

diction and that we should litigate the mer-

its of the traffic impact, Ketcham’s report

would definitely be integral,” said Michael

Gerrard, WPU’s attorney for the case.

Gerrard also hopes Ketcham’s find-

ings will encourage the Federal Highway

Administration to undertake a Federal

Environmental Impact Statement, which

would most closely mirror WPU’s desire

for a non-partisan third party to assess

the traffic impact of the plan.

Meanwhile, the EDC is currently gath-

ering responses to its recent Request For

Proposals for Phase 1. It has consistently

reiterated its belief that the ramps’ ap-

proval is coming.

The next move in the ongoing chess

match appears to be the July 20 oral argu-

ments both parties will present, once

again, to Judge Madden.

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at

jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 127.

Willets Point Foes, City EDC

Square Off Over Ramp Data

Attorney Michael Gerrard speaks as opponents of the Willets Point

Redevelopment Plan’s ramps rally before a public hearing.

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Police BlotterCompiled By DOMENICK RAFTER

101st Precinct

Shot In Head

On Sunday, June 12, at approximately

2:52 p.m., police responded to a 911 call

reporting a man shot at 364 Beach 56th

St. in Arverne. Upon arrival, police dis-

covered Yommaine Hunter, 23, who lived

at the location in apartment 4C, lying in

the fourth f loor hallway after being shot

twice in the head.

EMS also responded to the location

and pronounced the victim dead at the

scene There were no arrests and the in-

vestigation was ongoing.

105th Precinct

Another Shot

On Wednesday, June 8, at approxi-

mately 2:50 p.m., police responded to a

report of a person shot in the vicinity of

111th Road and Francis Lewis Boulevard

in St. Albans.

Upon arrival, police discovered Jimmolt

Gonsalves, 26, of 111-08 Francis Lewis

Blvd., St. Albans, lying on the ground with

a gunshot wound to his head. EMS also

responded to the location and pronounced

him dead at the scene. There were no ar-

rests and the investigation was ongoing.

110th Precinct

Burglar Sought

The NYPD is seeking the public’s as-

sistance in locating the following man

wanted in connection with a burglary that

occurred in Elmhurst

On Tuesday, May 3, at approximately

4:30 p.m., a Hispanic man, 40-45 years

old, 5-foot-10, 220 lbs., entered an apart-

ment at of 78-36 46th Ave. in Elmhurst

and removed a safe, containing an un-

known amount of cash and jewelry, be-

fore f leeing. The suspect was last seen

wearing a beige shirt with black pants.

Anyone with information in regards to

this incident is asked to call Crime Stop-

pers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The pub-

lic can also submit their tips by logging

onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at

nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their

tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering

TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

113th Precinct

Victim Dragged

The NYPD is asking for the public’s

assistance in locating two men wanted in

connection with a robbery that occurred

in St. Albans.

On Monday, June 6, at around 6:50

p.m., the two men walked into the GBA

Computer store located at 110-32 Farm-

ers Blvd. in St. Albans and walked out with

a laptop computer without paying. A store

employee followed both suspects out of

the store and confronted them. The men

then assaulted the victim causing injuries.

Both suspects then entered a blue

Honda Civic and attempted to f lee. As

they began to drive away, the victim hung

onto the vehicle and the suspects dragged

him, resulting in him sustaining multiple

lacerations to his arm. The victim was

able to let go of the vehicle and both sus-

pects drove off northbound on Farmers

Boulevard toward 109th Avenue.

Both suspects are black men in their 20s,

5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10. One suspect was wear-

ing dark pants and a dark colored zippered

vest, while the other was wearing a dark base-

ball hat, white t-shirt and grey jogging pants

with black stripes on the side of the legs.

Anyone with information in regards to

this incident is asked to call Crime Stop-

pers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The pub-

lic can also submit their tips by logging

onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at

nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their

tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering

TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

By BRIAN M. RAFFERTY

The Queens DA’s office has dropped

the final charge against former Demo-

cratic Nassau County Legislator Dave

Mejias who was arrested last year after

allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend.

On Sept. 1, 2010, while in the heat of

a Senate race against Kemp Hannon (R-

Garden City), Mejias was accused of

menacing, reckless endangerment and

stalking after an alleged incident. He had

been accused of tailgating a former girl-

friend, causing her to pull off the road.

When both cars were pulled over, he al-

legedly slammed his fist onto her car hood

and yelled at her in obscenity-laden lan-

guage.

Due to Mejias’ connection to the Nassau

County political infrastructure, the prosecu-

tion for the case was handled by Queens

DA Richard Brown. The menacing and stalk-

ing charges were officially dropped in De-

cember 2010, but well after the political

damage had been done. Mejias pulled him-

DA Says Mejias

Cleared Of Charges

self out of the Senate race.

Last Friday, the Queens DA’s office

dismissed the final charge, and sealed the

case. From the beginning Mejias had con-

tended that the incident did not go down

the way his ex had described it, and he

characterized what happened as a busi-

ness dispute that turned into a roadside

argument.

According to court papers, the woman

had called and text messaged Mejias more

than 200 times in the month prior to the

incident, including five times earlier on

the day of the incident and three times as

the incident was happening.

Oscar Michelen, an attorney for

Mejias, characterized the incident as “an

argument between adults,’ and said that

it at no point crossed the line into crimi-

nality.

Mejias said that he no longer intends

to seek elected office.

Reach Editor Brian Rafferty at

brafferty@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 122.

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Southeast Queens Photos Edited By Harley Benson

pix

Peter Engelbrecht (r.), architect, contractor, landscape artist, and plumberretired after 38 years as the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation'sDirector of Planning, Design, and Capital Projects on May 30. F. CarlisleTowery, President of GJDC, praised his colleague and friend. "PeterEngelbrecht is a rare combination of artist and bulldog. He's a great vi-sionary, but he will also never give up until the job is done-and done right.All of Jamaica, indeed the entire City of New York, owes him a great debtfor all he has built and all he has saved of our city's heritage."

More than 15 employers and 1,000 residents participated in a job fair spon-sored by Councilman Ruben Wills in partnership with the Rochdale YouthCouncil and Rochdale Community Center held at the Rochdale Village BigMall. Pictured l. to r.: Assemblywoman Vivian Cook, Assemblyman WilliamScarborough and Council Member Ruben Wills listen to a presentation byan employer at the job fair held inside the Rochdale Village Big Mall.

Members of the Jamaica Rotary Club and Police Officers from QueensSouth, 102nd, 103rd and 113th precincts sponsored a Barbeque forQueens Centers for Progress' program participants at their BelleroseCampus. Hot dogs and hamburgers were served and everyone presentwas treated to tee shirts, face painting, a magic show and a live DJ.Pictured l. to r.: Joseph Iaboni, President Jamaica Rotary Club; AlfredJimenez, QCP Program Participant; Queens South Chief James Secreto;Maryann McAleer, QCP Director of Development ; and NYPDCounterterrorism Deputy Chief, Michael A. Blake.

Councilman Ruben Wills (r.) and Rushell White (c.), principal of MS 226on Rockaway Boulevard, pose with students at the End of Year SchoolCommunity Barbecue on June 4.

End Of Year Celebration

Rochdale Job Fair

Progress Barbecue

Englebrech Retires

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ARE YOU A SUMMER READER?

Register at any Queens Library location or online at www.summerreading.org.

1102

6-5/

11

Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library system.

Free programs

and events for all ages,

including adults.

This ad is underwritten by Astoria Federal Savings.

www.queenslibrary.org

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Borough Beat

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

The clouds that socked in the city last

week were beginning to break shortly after

7 a.m. Monday as a half dozen people gath-

ered on a dock in Hunters Point, waiting

for the inaugural East River Ferry to make

its way uptown from Wall Street and take

them across the river to East 34th Street.

Among those gathered on the dock

were Gayle Baron, President of the Long

Island City Partnership, and a handful of

commuters from Long Island City who

decided to try out crossing on the river,

rather than under it on the crowded 7 train.

"It's good to have options," Baron said

as the 74-foot ferry boat appeared head-

Commuting Along Our Waterwaysing north from Brooklyn. When the boat

docked, the Queens commuters were

greeted by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney

(D-Astoria) and Councilman Jimmy Van

Bramer (D-Sunnyside) who were joined

on the first cruise by Mayor Mike

Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine

Quinn and Manhattan Borough President

Scott Stringer. Less than five minutes

later, everyone arrived in Manhattan.

The ferry, operated by New York Wa-

terway, which runs successful ferries along

the Hudson River and from New Jersey,

makes six stops along the East River. Its

southern terminus is Pier 11 at Wall Street,

where ferries from New Jersey also dock.

On its way uptown, it makes a series of

stops in Brooklyn; first in DUMBO at

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Schafer Landing

in South Williamsburg, North Sixth Street

in North Williamsburg and India Street in

Greenpoint followed by its single stop in

Queens at Hunters Point. The ferry then

makes the quick trip across the river to

East 34th Street where commuteArs can

take buses to Herald Square and

Rockefeller Center. The entire trip from

Pier 11 to East 34th Street only takes

about a half hour.

On the weekends and on Friday nights

throughout the summer, the ferry will add

a leg from Pier 11 to Governors Island.

The ferry runs every 20-30 minutes (20-

60 minutes in the winter), from 7 a.m. to

8 p.m. on the weekdays and 9 p.m. to 7

p.m. on weekends.

The double-decker boats, capable of

carrying 149 passengers, also has a bike

rack in the front of the boat for two-

wheeled commuters.

Two hours after the inaugural trip,

three commuters waited for the uptown

ferry at Wall Street. It left at 8:40 a.m., its

passenger totals doubling at each stop in

Brooklyn. Most of the passengers gath-

ered in the small open-air section on the

second f loor of the boat, taking pictures

of the Manhattan skyline, while others

stayed indoors, relaxing on the velour,

cushioned seats, reading the paper or

checking their emails.

"There's free coffee by the way," an-

nounced a female passenger who boarded

in North Williamsburg, taking advantage

of the perks of the ferry's first day, "You

won't find that on the L train."

There were still some first-day kinks

to work out. When the uptown ferry ar-

rived in Greenpoint, the downtown ferry

was parked in the slip, leaving the boat to

idle in the river for about two minutes.

"Nothing in this city is without its de-

lays," joked a male passenger from

DUMBO.

By the time the boat arrived in Hunt-

ers Point shortly after 9 a.m., about three

dozen people were aboard. A few more

boarded as it left for Midtown.

The one downside to the ferry's Hunt-

ers Point location is its distance from resi-

dential areas; the dock is three blocks

south of the Queens West development

on Second Street, in the middle of the

Hunters Point South construction site - but

there is a $5-a day parking lot. Baron said

she hopes the dock will be moved to Gan-

try Plaza State Park, which would be more

convenient for those living in Queens West.

The ferry is free through June 24, and

will be $4 one-way after that. There will

be a $1 surcharge for bikes.

For more information, including a full

schedule, go to eastriverferry.com

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

Riders from Queens and Brooklyn disem-

bark after docking in Manhattan.

The boat navigates its way out of Hunters

Point.

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Restaurant Review

Comedic Novel Steps Back In Time

BY JASON BANREY

Judging a book by its cover is the worse

cliché any enthusiastic reader would want

to find themselves under. According to

Jack Newcastle, author of “The Fine Art

Of Mixing Girls,” his debut novel may look

deceiving, but leaves it to the readers to

not oversimplify.

“It’s unfortunate if anyone judges this

book by its cover,” said Newcastle with a

subtle chuckle. “[Mixing Girls] is definitely

more than what seems to be.”

Set in the 1950s, this quick-witted com-

edy tells the tale of Roosevelt P. Lane, a

New York City entertainment columnist

with a nose for news in the nightlife of a

town brimming with dubious debutantes,

cunning Commies and lackadaisical lushes.

Torn between two loves – an unassum-

ing salacious starlet and a pragmatic, pro-

gressive arts editor – Lane struggles to

not only decide who to be with, but which

one is the “right one” to be seen with.

With each night that passes, Lane

finds himself in dodgy dilemmas.

Whether it’s saddling up to a song and

dance at The Stork over a martini, or tak-

ing the gents up on a drinking contest at

Father Doyle’s hole in the wall, Lane

never finds himself without enough ma-

terial to muster up and rattle out of his

typewriter each morning at the Daily Mail.

Just when the book’s main character

believes he sees a bit of light at the end of

the tunnel, Newcastle pulls the rug out

from under him, which he feels is a come-

dic catharsis Lane needed to experience

before making his final decision on who

to be with as the book climaxes.

“It was important that [Lane] looked

back and said to himself ‘Could I have

done something differently,’” Newcastle

said about the book’s conclusion. “The

ending will make my readers think – some-

thing I wanted to achieve.”

The Astoria author assures his

readers that Lane is strictly a fic-

tional character, who is in no way

near based on himself – despite

their mutual disdain for vodka, ‘that

national drink of Mother Russia’

and a spirit which finds itself at

the heart of Lane’s lovely di-

lemma.

The fast banter and rhythmi-

cally placed dialouge carry Lane

from chapter to chapter, creat-

ing a recipe for disaster, unfold-

ing a plot that only a 1950’s sa-

vant could concoct.

Compared to today,

Newcastle admits it was not easy

recreating a world where social

media and smartphones never ex-

isted.

Nonetheless, Newcastle

stresses the fact that his novel

is a complete comedy while ac-

knowledging his attempts to paint a time

which is completely different than today;

a time where the fate of opinions of one

another rested solely on actions rather

than the frequency of Facebook status

updates.

RED HOUSE

192-03 Union Tpke., Fresh Meadows

(718) 468-0888

CUISINE: Chinese & Japanese

HOURS: Mon-Thu: 11:30 am-10 pm;

Fri.-Sat 11:30 am-11 pm; Sun noon to 10 pm

CREDIT CARDS: All Major

DELIVERY: Yes

In only eight months, Red House has

done more than just attract neighbor-

hood locals and borough residents to

feast on its delicacies from the Far East.

Word has it, Red House’s clientele ex-

tend all the way out to Brooklyn, Long

Island and as far as Washington D.C.

If people were willing to travel

nearly 250 miles from the U.S. capital

just to get a taste of one of our borough’s

hidden gems, my companion and I de-

cided to take a short trek to see what all

the fuss was about.

Located only 10 minutes away from

Queens Boulevard, the authentic Asian

fusion restaurant finds itself at the foot

of Cunningham Park’s forested trails.

On entry, we were graciously welcomed

by the warm staff and slowly soothed

to our booth by the restaurant’s tranquil

Asian music which crafted a gentle at-

mosphere.

Initially, we sifted through the menus

filled with a variety of options of both

fine Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Look-

ing over the menu we immediately no-

ticed the Sashimi Pizza dish. Intrigued

by the unconventional combination of

raw fish spread over a fried scallion crispy

pancake, we ordered away.

At a quick glance the dish gives off a

culinary kaleidoscope of colors. A mix-

ture of tuna and salmon is sprinkled on

a pancake among sodden seaweed and

sliced avocado, along with a dusting of

sesame seeds.

Skeptical of the plate’s combination,

my guest looked across at me and took

the first bite. As I hesitated, her eyes

rolled into the back of her head with

satisfaction. I immediately followed her

move and placed the triangular treat on

my tongue and crunched it back which

fully pleased my belly’s longing for some-

thing different. Salaciously savored by

our taste buds, each bite brought on dif-

ferent flavors an experience no culinary

aficionado should miss.

Next we order from the Chinese

menu. Keeping along with the “try some-

thing new” motif, we asked for the

steamed tiny buns with pork and the

Triple Delight with Scallions.

Opening the warm bamboo steamer

revealed the delicately rolled dough

which enveloped a generous portion of

pork that laid stewing in a warm tangy

broth. Nibbling off the tip of the bun

gave us access to the juices within, a

temperate transition for what was to

come next.

The sound of the Triple Delight with

Scallions echoed the gluttonous passion

we had already embraced. Sliced beef,

chicken and shrimp sautéed in an auburn

sauce specially prepared by the chef

seemed like the way to end our date.

The glazed plump shrimp, inter-

mingled within the tenderly cooked

meats, was a perfect seductive sampling.

The slightly sweet sauce along with

shoots of scallions brought silence over

the table. Throughout the entire experi-

ence we realized we barely uttered a

word to each other and the realization

of Red House restaurant’s widely re-

nowned recognition reigned over us.

We will be back.

—Jason Banrey

The second annual “June in Jackson

Heights” initiative, sponsored by Coun-

cilman Danny Dromm, is in full swing

with art shows, performances, films and

historic tours. Now, residents and visitors

will be able to sample cuisine from around

the world during Jackson Heights Res-

taurant Week, Monday, June 20, through

Saturday, June 25. This year, more than

20 restaurants will offer specially priced

menus during the week-long event.

Many restaurants were happy to be in-

cluded again, including Natives Restaurant

(82-22 Northern Blvd.), which offers a

shell salad filled with grilled chicken,

shrimp or salmon and a glass of wine for

only $15. Also participating once again is

La Pequeña Colombia (83-27 Roosevelt

Ave.), offering a choice of appetizer and a

selected entree with soda or juice for $20.

Delicious entrees from Nepal can be

found at Mustang Thakali Kitchen (74-

14 37th Ave.) where a 10 percent dis-

count off anything on the menu is avail-

able for the entire week and Desi Chi-

nese newcomer Himalayan Hut (75-18

37th Ave.) has a grand deal for two: soup

and one special entrée with rice and tea

for just $14.95.

Delhi Heights (37-66 74th St.) which

has received an outstanding Michelin rat-

ing, offers a fresh and authentic home-style

Indian cuisine with a buffet that runs from

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for only $10 or 15 percent

off their delectable dinner menu. Mehfil

(76-05 37th Ave.) is also on the list again

where a vegetable samosa, an a la carte

entrée, naan, rice and soda will cost $20.

City Coffee (77-17 37th Ave.) will of-

Local Restaurant Week

Returns To Jackson Hts

fer a small Greek salad with moussaka for

$10 while at Espresso 77 (35-57 77th St.)

an entrée and a glass of wine for two will

run $20 and an entrée and a glass of wine

for one will cost $10. Ricky’s Café (75-02

37th Ave.), a local favorite, has a great

lunch special for just $7.

Japanese Restaurant, Tomo (86-12

37th Ave.), will provide any three regular

rolls for $10 and a la carte sushi and

sashimi for $1 apiece. Happy Kitchen (80-

12 37th Ave.) meanwhile, is offering the

aptly named Jackson Heights Roll, Shrimp

Tempura Roll, and California Roll for $10.

For Italian cuisine, head over to

Armondo’s Italian Restaurant (74-27

37th Ave.), which will offer 10 percent

off. Head to El Coyote (80-16 Northern

Blvd.) for Mexican done right at $20 for

three courses. For Greek food, Plaka (75-

61 31st Ave.) is an excellent choice with

a great menu at 20 percent off.

If you like steak, restaurants that hail

from countries in South America like La

Porteña, La Boina Roja, Novo and Cafe

La Nueva, have the best cuts at the best

prices. Of course, we cannot forget Ameri-

can dining. For a Texas BBQ walk over to

Legends (71-04 35th Ave.) with a “buy

one get one free” signature BBQ sandwich.

To promote the event, organizers have

created a website, juneinjacksonheights.com,

containing a full list of all the June activi-

ties, as well as all of the restaurants par-

ticipating in Jackson Heights Restaurant

Week. Additionally, local web sites like

jacksonheightslife.com will be working to

promote June in Jackson Heights

throughout the month.

Go Visit Red House

Author Jack Newcastle’s new book not only oozes

1950’s style, so does his wardrobe.

Whatever way you see it, it is a com-

edy, Newcastle confesses.

“It is a comedy. Till it isn’t.”

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 124.

A Shindig For Dads Who Love Jazz

Faith

Notebook50’s Garden

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A Garden Teaches PS 140 Students

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

The gray overcast skies did not

dampen the mood of PS 140's Second

Annual Garden Party.

Hope Dorsey, math teacher and leader

of PS 140's Down and Dirty Horticultural

Society, said the event is to celebrate the

beginning of the planting season.

The Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Commu-

nity Garden, on 165th Street, was lively as

students and community residents filled

the space, donning colorful hats.

Word“Few nations have been so poor as to have but

one god. Gods were made so easily, and the

raw material cost so little, that generally the

god market was fairly glutted and heaven

crammed with these phantoms.”

—Robert Ingersoll

Chyna Taylor, 12, said visiting the gar-

den makes her proud. Last year, she helped

plant strawberries, eggplants and tomatoes.

Natalia Taylor, 11, marveled at the lush

garden laden with fresh herbs and veg-

etables. Looking at the rewards from the

labor of community residents and the club,

she felt a sense of achievement.

"It was an enjoyable experience," Natalia

said. "I feel I can accomplish more than just

sitting at home all day watching TV."

For her, planting is a hobby she enjoys

not only with her classmates, but also with

her grandmother. "Planting

the tomatoes felt like find-

ing buried treasure," she

said. "We [unearthed] all

kinds of different insects."

Beverly Baptiste, parent

coordinator and Down and

Dirty Horticultural Society

member, said being part of

the process from inception

to harvesting is beautiful.

Though the Down and

Dirty Horticultural Society is

in its second year, Dorsey

and colleague Susan Gittling

have been tending the

garden's soil for three years.

"It's like therapy," she

said.

While the Society has yet to begin

planting, Dorsey said this year's crops will

include tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and

herbs. Throughout the summer, Dorsey

and the students will volunteer their time

to nurture and plant.

David Norment, PS 140's principal,

said the garden is the perfect learning en-

vironment for students.

"It's amazing for our kids to get out of

the building, and go to a place in their neigh-

borhood to see life growing in an environ-

ment that is warm and loving," he said. "This

is the type of learning that is sometimes

overlooked with all the standards."

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400,

Ext. 123.

Teachers and students enjoying a day at the garden.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, along with students and community members at the rapper's

eponymous garden in Southeast Queens at its opening two years ago.

By SASHA AUSTRIE

Still unsure of where to take dad for

Father's Day? Does he love Jazz? The

men at the Presbyterian Church of St.

Albans have just the event for you.

The church is hosting a "Pre-Father's

Day Men Who Cook and Love Jazz"

event at 4 p.m. on June 18 at the sanctu-

ary located at 190-04 119th St.

"It is very, very uplifting for men to

join in and participate and be at the

forefront," said Elder on Session at the

Presbyterian Church of St. Albans

Patrick Tomlinson.

Tomlinson said the church's celebra-

tion of Father's Day began in 2003.

"Usually it was an event on Father's

Day at an outside venue," he said. "In the

last three years, we brought it back to

church."

Tomlinson said attendees can look

forward to a good time.

"I have heard [people] talking and they

are looking forward to having their pal-

lets and senses delighted on Saturday."

The church was borne out of cottage

prayer meetings. In 1898, the year before

The Presbyterian Church of St. Albans is hosting a pre-father's day

event.

the town of St .

Albans was named,

a group of Christians

started holding

Wednesday evening

meetings in their

houses.

Although the

foundation was laid

well before there

was a building to

house the spirit of

the church, people

worshipped in the

Community Hall,

built in 1903, which

is now the First

Church of God in

Christ.

The cornerstone

known as the Pres-

byterian Church of St. Albans was built in

1907. The church, which has endured

more than a century within St. Albans

stands as a symbol of its resilience.

"This church was founded March 5,

1907, by mothers and fathers in St. Albans

and the main thrust was focusing on the

children," said the Rev. Edward Davis,

who has led the church for more than two

decades. "That same spirit has penetrated

every aspect of the 100 years. There is a

great interest in young people and youth."

The event is open to the public; it costs

$15 for adults and $8 for children. For ad-

ditional information call (718) 528-2495.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400,

Ext. 123.

Queens TodaySECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send typed announcementsfor your club or

organization’s events atleast TWO weeks in

advance to “Queens Today”Editor, Queens Tribune,174-15 Horace HardingExpressway, Fresh Mead-

ows, NY 11365. Send faxesto 357-9417, c/o Regina.

IF YOUR ORGANIZATIONMEETS ON A REGULARBASIS, SEND ALL DATESFOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS ENTERTAINMENT

MOVING IMAGEMuseum of the Moving Im-age, 35th Avenue and 37th

Street, Astoria. $10 adults.777-6888.SOAP BOX DERBYSaturday, June 18 in EastElmhurst. 468-5144.HOT JAZZSaturday, June 18 the BriaAkonberg Quartet at 2 at theLou i s Armst rong Garden .$10. 478-8274.APOLLOSaturday, June 18 From Ha-vana to Harlem at QueensTheater in the Park . 760-0064.ASTRONOMY NIGHTSaturday, June 18 Eveningwith the Stars from 8-10 atAl ley Pond EnvironmentalCente r . 229 -4000 . $10adults.ASTORIA HISTORICALSaturday, June 18 HistoryRo u n d Ta b l e w i t h th eevents of the Civi l War in1 8 6 1 a t 1 . $ 5 . G r e a t e rAstoria Historical Societ y,35-20 Broadway, 4^: th floor.278-0700.JAMAICA BAY CRUISESaturday, June 18 JamaicaBay Cruise 4-7 from Brook-lyn. 318-9344.SPRING CONCERTSunday, June 19 Children’sOrchestra Societ y presentsthe i r 42 nd Annua l Sp r ingConcert at 5 at Queensbor-ough Communit y Col lege.516-869-9696.BINGOTuesdays at 7:15 at Ameri-can Martyrs Church, churchbasement , 216 -01 Un ionTurnp ike , Bays ide . 464 -4582. Tuesdays at 7:15(doors open 6) at the RegoPark Jewish Center, 97-30Queens Blvd. 459-1000.$3admis s ion inc ludes 12games.OPEN MICThursday, June 23 at theEast Elmhurst library at 6.OPEN MICThursday, June 23 OpenMic: An Urban Love Story atLaGuardia Performing ArtsCenter .LIVE JAZZFridays through December13 at 180-25 Linden Blvd..,S t . A lbans . 347-262-1169ticket information.STAMP SHOWSunday, June 26 BaysideStamp Show at the RamadaInn in Bays ide . 10 -4 :30 .Free.CONCERTSunday, June 26 Quintet ofthe Amer icas per forms at2:30 at the Queens Botani-cal Gardens. Free.CONCERTSunday, June 26 concert onthe lawn in Fort Totten Parkat 6.JAZZSunday, June 26 Hot Jazz/Cool Garden, a July 4th birth-day ce lebrat ion for LouisArmstrong. July 30 GordonAu and the Grand S t reetS tompers . Augus t 4Jazzmobile in front of themuseum a t 7 . August 20Baby Soda Jazz Band .Armstrong House Museum.478-8274.DANCE ODYSSEYMonday, June 27 a t theFlushing library at 6:40.

WOODBLOCK PRINTINGEasy method in full color atthe Nat iona l Ar t League .969-1128.JH ART CLUBClasses in all art forms daysand evenings for chi ldrenand adults. 454-0813.PUBLIC SPEAKINGSaturday, June 18 learn tocommunicate effectively atElmhurst Hospital. 646-436-7940.CRAFT CLASSESSaturdays 11 -3 at Mar iaRose International Doll Mu-seum in S t . A lbans . 276 -3454.SCRABBLE CLUBSaturdays at 10 at CountBasie Jr. HS, 132nd Street andGuy R. Brewer Blvd. 886-5236.PET OWNERSSaturdays (not on holidayweekends ) f rom 1 -4 f reeDogg ie Boot Camp a tCrocheron Park in Bayside(weather permitt ing). 454-5800 . Rese rva t ions re -quired. Donations accepted.BALLROOM DANCEMondays, June 20, 27 ball-room dancing at 6:30 at theForest Hills library.BRIDGE CLUBMondays except holidays 12-4 a t P r ide o f Judea inDouglaston. Lesson & play$10. Partners arranged. 423-6200.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.DRAWING CLASSMondays at the National ArtLeague in Douglaston. 361-0628.LINE DANCEMondays beginner to inter-med ia te l e s sons 6 -9 inBayside. 917-886-0519.ADULT CHESSMondays and Thursdays atthe Queens Village library at5:30.BEGIN ENGLISHMondays and Wednesdaysf r ee Beg inner s Eng l i shC las ses 10 -11 :30 a t thePomonok Senior Center, 67-09 Kissena Blvd., Flushing.591-3377.CAREER POTENTIALMonday, June 20 and Thurs-day, June 23 discover yourcareer potential at the Cen-tral library.POETRY WRITINGTuesdays, June 21, July 19budding poets are invited toa constructive feedback in apersonalized setting at 7:30at Barnes & Noble, 176-60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows.SCRABBLE CLUBTuesdays at the East Flush-ing library at 3:30.GET YOUR YARNS OUT!Tuesdays after evening Min-yan at 8, knitters, crochet-ers, needlepointers, and oth-ers meet at the Forest HillsJewish Center . 263-7000,ext. 200.TANGO CLASSWednesdays, June 22, 29 atBuenos Aires Tango in For-est Hills. 347-642-4705.NOOK NIGHTWednesday, June 22 at 7 atBa rnes & Nob le , 176 -60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows.DUPLICATE BRIDGE

Wednesdays 10:30-3:00 atthe Reform Temple of For-est Hi l l s . $12 sess ion, in -cludes light lunch. 261-2900INDOOR SOCCER – DADSWednesday evenings at theForest Hills Jewish Center.263-7000.OIL PAINTING CLASSWednesdays 6 -8 adu l tc l a s ses , a l l l eve l s . GraceLutheran Church in ForestHills. 472-4055.WATERCOLOR CLASSWednesdays at 9:30 at NAL.Tradit ional and contempo-rary, all levels. 969-1128.CHINESE LANGUAGEWednesdays, June 22, 29 atthe Laurelton library. Regis-ter .QUILTING CLASSESThursdays 10-2 at the MariaRose Dol l Museum in S t .Albans. 276-3454 or 917-817-8653 to register.QUILTERSThursdays a t the Eas tElmhurst library at 12:30.CHESS CLUBThursdays at the East Flush-ing library. Register.COMPUTER CLASSThursdays a t theQueensboro Hill library. Reg-ister.KNIT & CROCHETThursdays a t the F reshMeadows library at 6.BALLROOM DANCINGThursdays, June 23, 30 at theWoodside library at 6:30.PAINTING WORKSHOPFr idays through June 24New Crea t i v i t y and Ad -vanced Painting Workshop atNational Art League. 1-646-546-2296.KNITTING CLUBFridays at the Maspeth li-brary at 10.KNIT & CROCHETFridays at the Fresh Mead-ows library at 10:30.BAKERS & SHAKERSStarting Sunday, June 26 4course class for the family.Star ting Tuesday, June 288 session course for adults.Central Queens Y. 268-5011,ext. 482.JOB INFORMATIONThursday, June 30 Job Infor-mation Center at 7 at theCentral library.

ASTORIA PARK CONCERTThursday, June 30 at 7:30.Free. Astoria Symphony per-forms.OPEN MICMonday , J u l y 11 O p e nMic Poetry Night at 7 :30at Barnes & Noble, 176-60U n i o n Tu r n p i k e , F r e s h

Meadows.WORLD MAKER FAIRESeptember 17-18 family funfes t i va l to make , c rea te ,learn, invent and more bycelebrating arts, crafts, en-gineering, food, music, sci-ence and technology. Hall ofScience.

DANCE

COUNTRY WESTERNSaturday, June 18 WhiteLightening performs at theFathers Day Dance . $12 .Glendale Memorial Building,72-02 Myrtle Avenue at 7:30.763-4328.ISRAELI FOLKMondays 7 :15 -9 :45 a tHillcrest Jewish Center, 182-02 Union Turnpike. $10 ses-sion. 380-4145.LINE DANCINGMondays 6 :30 -9 :30 a tKowal insk i Pos t 4 , 61 -57Maspeth Avenue. $7. Cakeand coffee. 565-2259.

EXHIBIT

ENVIRONMENT

DINNER

QUEENS HISTORICALTuesdays , Sa turdays andSundays 2:30-4:30 new ex-h ib i t “Fo r Love o f theGames: A History of Sportsin Queens,” with other ex-hibits, “Unraveling History:Using Texti les to Date thePas t , ” “K ings l and : F romHomestead to House Mu-seum,” “Persistence: A Cel-ebrat ion of Landmarks inQueens – Past, Present, Fu-ture,” and “The Civil War’sLast ing Memory.” QueensHi s to r i ca l Soc ie t y a tKingsland Homestead, 144-35 37th avenue, F lush ing .939-0647, ext . 17. $2 se -niors and students, $3 adults.MOVING IMAGEThrough June 12 “Real Vir-tual i t y.” Through July 17“City Glow.” Museum of theMoving Image, 35th Avenueand 37th Street, Astoria. $10adults. 777-6888.AMER. CIVIL RIGHTSThrough June “QCC ArtGallery: 20 Years of Collect-i ng . ” May through June“Depar tment o f A r t andDesign’s Juried Student Ex-hibition.” QCC Art Gallery.631-6396.NY REGIONAL AESTHETICSThrough June 30 “Express:Loca l /New York Reg iona lAesthetics” at the QueensCol lege Ar t Cente r . 997 -3770.SOCRATES SCULPTUREThrough August 7 “Vista”at Socrates Sculpture Park,intersection of Broadway andVernon Blvd., LIC. 956-1819.FLUSHING COUNCILThrough September 2011“Within the Emperor’s Gar-den : ” The Ten ThousandSprings Pavilion.” ThroughNovember 14 “EndangeredArt/ists: China.” November19 through January 7 “Ko-rean Painting Exhibition: AWalk Through Nature.” Per-manen t d i sp l ays i nc lude“Jazz Live!”, “Flushing TownHall:” Fact or Folklore,” anhistorical exhibition on Flush-ing Town Hall and its placein history, “Legends of theQueens Jazz Trail” 463-7700.DOLL MUSEUMWednesday through Satur-days 12:30-4:30 the MariaRose Dol l Museum in S t .Albans. 276-3454.BAYSIDE HISTORICAL“The Cas t l e , ” “Na t i veBayside/Native Voice,” “I fThe Hat Fits,” “The Womenof Bays ide” and “Bays ideLife” On the Edge of Moder-nity” are on display at theBayside Historical Societ y,352-1548. Tuesday-Sunday11-4. $3 donation.LOUIS ARMSTRONGGuided tours at the Coronamuseum. $8 adults, $6 se-niors, students, groups. 478-8274.

DINNER CRUISEThursday, June 30 1st annualcharit y dinner dance cruisefor Bobbi and the Strays.JEWISH WOMENTuesday, June 21 luncheonby the NY section of the Na-t iona l Counc i l o f J ew i shWomen. 1-800-829-NCJW.CENTENNIAL 2011September 24 QueensChamber of Commerce willcelebrate the Centennial atTerrace on the Park.

SPRING BIRD WALKSSunday, June 19 APEC. $5members, $7 others . 229-4000.ENVIRONMENTAL FILMSThursday, June 23 “HomoToxicus” Idlewild Park Sci-ence Learning Center. 347-824-2301 to register.

ANTHROPOLOGYThe Anthropology Museumof the People of New Yorkand the Armenian CulturalEducational Resource Cen-te r Ga l l e ry a re open a tQueens College. 428-5650to visit.LI ARCHIVESLaGuardia and Wagner Ar-chives display various exhib-its exploring the history ofNYC. LaGuardia CommunityCollege. 482-5709. Free.ALLEY POND C TR.Var ie t y o f exh ib i t s and achance to see nature up-close in the mini -zoo andaquar ium. 229-4000 for acurrent program guide.KING MANORPre-Hampton 19th centuryget-away Village, Jamaica Vil-lage, is recaptured at KingManor Museum, in themidd le o f K ing Pa rk . $2adults, $1 children. Limitedwinter hours , by appoint -ment only. 206-0545.ONDERDONKSelf-guided tours of the na-t iona l l andmark bu i ld ing ,built circa 1709. School pro-grams, craft courses, horti-cultural activities and histori-ca l s l i de shows . Grea te rRidgewood Historical Soci-et y, 1820 Flushing Avenue,Ridgewood. 456-1776.BOWNE HOUSEOriginal 17th, 18th and 19thcentury furnishings. 37-01Bowne Street, Flushing. 359-0528. $4 adults, $3 seniors,$2 students and children.POPPENHUSENVisit the kindergarten room,Victorian Hall, old village jailcel ls and current exhibits ,inc luding the “September11 Memor ia l , ” “Co l l egePoint Then and Now” andthe “Nat ive Amer ican Ex -hibit.” 10-2. 358-0067.BOTANICAL GARDEN38 acre garden provides rec-reation, formal and informaleducational opportunit ies.Queens Botanical Gardens,43-50 Main Street, Flushing.886-3880.COUNTY FARMTours avai lable of histor icAdriance Farmhouse, whichdates back to 1772. QueensCount y Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Flo-ral Park. 347-FARM.HALL OF SCIENCEAdults $7.50, children 4-15and seniors $5. 699-0005.FISHER LANDAUThe Fisher Landau Center forArt, 38-27 30th Street, LIC.937-0727. Free. Recent ac-quisitions and core holdingsin photography, painting andsculpture.ISAMU NOGUCHINoguch i Museum, 32 -37Vernon B lvd . , L IC . $10adults, $5 seniors and stu-dents. 204-7088.

RELIGIOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

DOG/CAT VACCINEThrough July 30 Pet landDiscount locations offer lowcost dog and cat vaccina-t ions . Contact your loca lstore.HOUSING EXPOSaturday, June 11 9-4 atQueens Co l l ege S tuden tUnion Ballroom. 298-6505.GOLF CLASSICJune 20 23rd Annual Ameri-can Heart Association GolfClassic. 516-450-9129.EXHIBITJune 22 unique program oflocal artists at the Kew Gar-dens Community Center, 80-02 Kew Gardens Road 11-7.WALK & RUNSeptember 25 Long IslandHeart Walk and 5K Run. 516-450-9126.ORATORIO SOCIETYMondays through April theOratorio Society of Queensrehearses at the North Pres-byterian Church. 279-3006.COMMUNITY SINGERSMondays through May theCommun i t y S inge r s o fQueens, Inc. rehearses atMessiah Lutheran Church,42-15 165th Street, Flushing.New members we lcome .658-1021.

BUKHARIAN MUSICTuesday, June 21 at 1:30 atthe Cent ra l Queens YM-YWHA, 67-09 108th Street,Forest Hills. $6 donation.HISTORY OF ZIONISMJune 23 at Temple Tikvah,3315 Hillside Avenue, NewHyde Park. $10 non-mem-bers.. 8pm.

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Profile

Frat Maintains Legacy Of SupportBY SASHA AUSTRIE

For more than a century, the men of

the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity have toiled

in their communities across the globe.

Here in Queens, the brothers of the alumni

chapter Zeta Zeta Lambda are keeping

with tradition.

"It gives me a means to provide ser-

vice to the community," said Malik

Goodson, president of the chapter.

To celebrate the work that the organi-

zation has completed during the fraternal

year from September to June, the alumni

chapter will host their 2011 Presidential

Awards and Scholarship Presentations. The

festivities will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday

at St. John's University's D'Angelo Center.

"We will present some awards to some

of the people who have helped us during

the year," Goodson said.

This year, the alumni chapter will be-

stow the Annie C. Singleton Award to

two women, Lynn Stanton and Hilda

Air Force Airman Kerron A. Henry

graduated from basic military training at

Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio,

Texas.

The airman completed an intensive,

eight-week program that included train-

ing in military discipline and studies, Air

Force core values, physical fitness and

basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training

earn four credits toward an associate in

applied science degree through the Com-

munity College of the Air Force.

He is the son of Wayne Henry of Ja-

maica. Henry graduated in 2008 from

August Martin High School, Jamaica.

Air Force Airman Ramon C. Aarons

graduated from the Utilities Systems Ap-

prentice Course at Sheppard Air Force

Base, Wichita Falls, Texas.

The course is designed to train stu-

dents in water processing, analysis, oper-

ating principles of water treatment plants,

maintenance of water and waste water,

fire suppression and backflow prevention

systems and components; and mainte-

nance and repair of water supply, waste,

Kerron A. Henry

fuels, and natural gas systems. The train-

ing included monitoring systems opera-

tion to ensure efficiency and compliance

with safety and environmental regulations

for hazardous materials; performing in-

spection, recurring maintenance, and sea-

sonal overhaul on systems and compo-

nents; troubleshooting malfunctions and

removing, repairing, and replacing defec-

tive components; and modifying equip-

ment for specific missions or to increase

efficiency.

Aarons is regularly assigned to the

341st Civil Engineering Squadron, based

out of Malmstrom Air Force Base, Great

Falls, Mont.

He is the son of Almarie A. Delahaye

of Brooklyn. His wife, Alicia, is the daugh-

ter of Ionie James of St. Albans.

Army Pvt. Ruben E. Caminero has

graduated from the Basic Field Artillery

Cannon Crewmember Advanced Indi-

vidual Training course at Fort Sill,

Lawton, Okla.

The course is designed to train

servicemembers to maintain, prepare and

load ammunition for firing; operate and

perform operator maintenance on prime

movers, self-propelled Howitzers, and am-

munition vehicles; store, maintain, and

distribute ammunition to using units as a

member of battery or battalion ammuni-

tion section; perform crew maintenance

and participate in organizational mainte-

nance of weapons and related equipment;

and establish and maintain radio and wire

communications.

Caminero is the son of Antonia Veras

of Rockaway Park. His wife, Seydy, is the

daughter of Lupe Hernandez, also of

Rockaway Park. The private is a 2010

graduate of Beach Channel High School,

Rockaway Park.

The University of Connecticut re-

cently announced the students who at-

tained the Dean’s List for the spring 2011

semester. To make the Dean’s List, stu-

dents must be taking at least 12 credits,

finish the semester with a grade point

average that is among the top 25 percent

of students enrolled in their school or

college, and have no grade below a “C.”

Julie Kim of Elmhurst, Helen Cai of Flush-

ing, Kimberly Koop of Forest Hills, Alvin

Cheung of Fresh Meadows, Evins Clauther

of Jamaica and Jose Torres of Whitestone

were all awarded with the honor.

Army National Guard Pfc. Jonathan

Fowler has graduated from basic combat

training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, the

soldier studied the Army mission, his-

tory, tradition and core values, physical

fitness, and received instruction and

practice in basic combat skills, military

weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet

training, drill and ceremony, marching,

rif le marksmanship, armed and unarmed

combat, map reading, field tactics, mili-

tary courtesy, military justice system,

basic first aid, foot marches, and field

training exercises.

He is the son of Lydie Boutros-Fowler

of Jamaica. Fowler graduated in 2005

from Martin Van Buren High School,

Queens Village, and received an associ-

ate degree in 2010 from Technical Ca-

reer Institute.

The State University of New York at

Geneseo has announced its Dean’s List

for the spring semester 2011. To be on

the list, a student must have achieved a

3.5 grade point average while taking at

least 12 credit hours.

Students on the list from this area are:

Saskia Talay from Floral Park, Nicole

Karras from Long Island City, Oliver Lee

from Flushing, Derek Weng from Queens,

Efthimia Barbagiannis from Whitestone,

Elizabeth Kussman from Whitestone,

Will iam Labate from Whitestone,

Fangyuan Jin from Flushing, Brianne Rosa

from Bayside, Christine Bae from Bayside,

Jesse Hong from Bayside, Hyein Kim from

Bayside, Doris Lee from Douglaston, Gre-

gory Palermo from Bayside Hills, Inhwa

Song from Oakland Gardens, Collette

Spagnolo from Oakland Gardens, Ashley

Thornton from Bayside, Joon Min Chun

from Flushing, Minji Lee from Fresh

Meadows, Natalia Bagnowska from Flush-

ing, Valeria Maroutsis from Flushing, Jisu

Ryu from Corona, Raymond Ferreira from

East Elmhurst, Daniel Nan from Rego Park,

Jack Silano from Forest Hills, Elizabeth

Solaimanian from Forest Hills, Haisu Qu

from Woodside, Mateusz Zukowski from

Maspeth, Stephanie Halvax from Middle

Village, Sierra Hunt from Glendale, Fiona

Harvey from Cambria Heights, Marilyn

Yang from Richmond Hill, John David

Acevedo from Jamaica and Nazibur

Rahman from Jamaica.

Hampton University’s 141st Annual

Commencement ceremony was held on

May 8, 2011 at Armstrong Stadium. Ac-

tor/comedian Bill Cosby served as the

commencement speaker.

The following local residents gradu-

ated from Hampton University during the

ceremony.

Malynda Washington of Glen Oaks,

Ianandra Booker of Flushing, Jasmine

Butler of Oakland Gardens, Antoinette

Brown of Cambria Heights, Shanel

McMillian of Cambria Heights, Tiffany

Edwards of St. Albans, Shanise Johnson

of St. Albans, Kirsten Jones of Laurelton,

Jonathan Petersen of Springfield Gar-

dens, Yampu Freeman of Rosedale,

Simone Lomax of Jamaica, Natalie Bennett

of Jamaica, Shanae Cole of Jamaica,

Kacia Hunter of Jamaica, Sahlia Joseph-

Pauline of Jamaica, King Imasuen of Ja-

maica and Dominique Harris of Far

Rockaway.

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People

The members of Alpha Phi Alpha’s alumni chapter, Zeta Zeta Lambda.

Rogers, who have aided the fraternity.

Singleton, dubbed the mother of the

fraternity, helped the founders of the or-

ganization by providing a meeting space

and lodging for a few members.

The organization will award six schol-

arships, totaling in $12,000, four to gradu-

ating high school seniors, and two to stu-

dents enrolled in an accredited university.

Though the chapter focuses heavily

on young men, the Alpha’s impact can be

felt throughout the community.

Alpha Phi Alpha was founded on the

campus of Cornell University as the first

Greek-letter fraternity for black males. It

was founded by five of the fraternity's

seven jewels, and it initially served as a

support and study group for minority stu-

dents facing racial and social discrimina-

tion at Cornell.

The legacy of the Alphas includes Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton

Powell Jr., Dr. Cornel West, U.S. Rep.

Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica), and Council-

man Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans).

Goodson believes the men who came

before him made his life easier and it is

his mission to aide the next generation.

"There was work to be done then, and

there is still work to be done now," he said.

Since the first group of young men

blazed the trail, the Alphas have expanded

worldwide, with chapters nationwide and

abroad. It may have started out as a frater-

nity that focused on black men, but about

40-years-ago it morphed, and the mem-

bers are now a representation of all races.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

Peacemaker?Queensbridge native baller Ron

Artest showed why he has gainedrespect lately (following someunfortunate incidents a few yearsback), when after leaving a club hebroke up a fight between a drunkwoman and a man without havingto throw a punch. People in Detroitand Indiana may be wonderingwhere this guy was when he playedfor their teams.

Every now and then, we atQConf like to take a look backat one of our favorite models,and check in to see how thingsare going.

It turns out that ElleSantangelo, who first appearedon our page six years ago, isabout to have a small featuredrole in a movie that has been inthe works for about four years.

“Bamboo Shark” is a filmabout a handful of MIT stu-dents who drop out of college tomake a movie – but no companywill finance it because thereare no celebrities in the film.

So the guys take it uponthemselves to impersonate ce-lebrities, ranging fromMichael Jackson to ArnoldSchwarzenegger and evenJudge Judy.

Though Elle’s part is small,as Lingerie Girl No. 3, we thinkshe will probably steal what-ever scenes she is in.

A New Jersey native, Ellewas living in Astoria when welast spoke to her. She had al-ready enjoyed a few good photoshoots under her belt, and wasspending plenty of time enjoy-ing work on student films andgetting her foot in the door asan actor.

Hopefully this will be thetime that she gets noticed. Welook forward to seeing more ofher… er… seeing her more.

Elle SantangeloLocation: AstoriaHeight: 5’ 9"Weight: 115 lbsAge: 25Stats: 32-24-33

Mod

els

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Elle

Ringmaster JimWhen the Big Apple Circus

comes to town, it offers folks inQueens relief from the politicalsideshows that seem to pop updaily. Of course when you throw aCity Council member into the mix,you’re sure to have the best ofboth worlds. Here, Councilman JimGennaro steps into the ring towelcome kids from PS 82 who allgot to go free thanks to an alloca-tion from Ringmaster Jim. Part cir-cus, part sideshow, all Queens.

Councilmember Jim Gennaro

Still WildAfter being a member of the

Mets from 1985 to 1989, helpinglead the team to two World Series,including the victorious year of1986, Lenny Dykstra’s life haschanged greatly. The Mets of 1986were known to party hard, butDykstra apparently hasn’tstopped. Last Monday in LosAngeles, he was charged with 23felony counts and two misde-meanor charges.

He was charged with grand theftauto, identity theft and posses-sion of cocaine, ecstasy and syn-thetic human growth hormone. Hewas also charged with bank fraudby federal authorities in May.Dykstra failed to make his $500,000bail and could face up to 12 yearsin prison if convicted.

Portrayed in the Mets 1986post-season video as a “WildBoy,” it would seem the monikermay not have been that far off.

Lately, LL Cool J has immersedhimself in his acting career. Wealmost believed that he had aban-doned his first love – music, butlast Thursday he was a specialguest at a free Black Eyed Peasconcert held in Central Park.

To those who didn’t get achance to hear the Queens emceerock the mic, there is a possibilitythat LL will get a chance to spit fireon an upcoming “NCIS LA” epi-sode. LL is cast on the televisionseries as former Navy SEAL andundercover agent, Sam Hanna.

If he can give us a little of“Mama Said Knock You Out” and“Doing It,” we will be happy camp-ers.

Ladies Still Love Him

Queens since birth, LL Cool J

How many times have youfallen asleep on the train and wokenup way past your expected desti-nation? We admit that for some ofus at QConf, it has happened moreoften than it should.

In an attempt to keep Queensand Brooklyn commuters up whileriding the rails, McDonald’s intro-duced 1,000 subway ads to thecity trains, promoting their ice coldjava.

The poster depicts a shot of aniced cup of McCafe raised up to aslogan that reads, “To not fallingasleep and ending up in FarRockaway. (Unless, of course, youlive there.)”

Cheers to that!But when Councilman James

Sanders, who represents Far Rock,“refused to be the butt of a cheapjoke,” Ronald agreed to take themall down.

Thanks James; but how elseare we going to remember to stayawake now? Guess we’ll have tofight the urge of nodding off aftera late night in Brooklyn.

(Wait… did we just publiclyadmit we hang out in Brooklyn?!)

Somebody’s not paying atten-tion to the ad.

Who better to grace the coverof Russia’s latest issue of “Es-quire” than Astoria native Chris-topher Walken?

Ever the professional, Walkenmanned up for the role and posedfor the creepiest, most depressingshot of him ever taken. What couldbe more appropriate for the land ofSiberia, gulags and the KGB?

Though we’re sad to see himaging, we’re proud he’s wearinghis wrinkles with flair. Now if onlyhe can reprise a role along the linesof “Deer Hunter.”

Comrade Chris

Lenny Dykstra back in the day

Conf ident ia l ly, New York . . .

Ron Artest

McDonald’s Ad

QConfidential, a selection of lo-cal celebrity, politics and gossip ed-ited by Michael Schenkler.

Contributors: Sasha Austrie, Ja-son Banrey, Marcia Moxom Comrie,Mike Nussbaum, Joe Orovic, BrianRafferty, Domenick Rafter.

You can reach us by email atConf@QueensTribune.com

Who We Are

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SATURDAY, JUNE 18

Youth & Tennis

The Youth and Tennis group meets

every Saturday morning at Roy Wilkins

Park Saturday. To learn more, call Bill

Briggs at (718) 658-6728.

Walkers for Wellness Club

Looking for a fun way to improve your

health? Join the Walkers for Wellness Club

at New Hope Lutheran Church of Ja-

maica. Under the guidance of a Walking

Leader, you will walk two to three times

each week at a comfortable pace with

others along routes throughout Southeast

Queens. The club is open to walkers of all

ages and abilities. The walking schedule is

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., and

Saturdays at 8 a.m. Walkers meet at New

Hope Lutheran Church, located at 167-24

118th Ave. T-shirts and pedometers will

be provided. Contact Thurkessa Brown at

(917) 553-1089 for more information.

Roy Wilkins Park Fundraiser

The Friends of Roy Wilkins Park cor-

dially invites you to attend their 7th annual

fundraising dance. This is a BYOBB affair.

All proceeds will benefit Roy Wilkins Park.

For information and tickets, call Ernest

Darby at (718) 978-6546, Wendy White

at (917) 916-6891, Barbara Dillard at

(718) 527-0139, Mary Ramseur at (718)

723-0570, Liz Evans at (718) 528-8666,

Yvonne Richardson at (718) 527-5085,

or Andrew Straker at (917) 863-7356.

Checks made payable to “The Friends of

Roy Wilkins Park, Inc.” should be mailed

to Friends of Roy Wilkins Park, PO Box

341042, Rochdale Village, NY 11434.

This event will take place at the Robert

Ross Johnson Family Life Center, 172-17

Linden Blvd, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets

cost $35.

Queens Health Fair

Councilman Leroy Comrie is pleased

to present a Queens Health Fair. Don’t

miss this day of screenings for blood pres-

sure, glucose, cholesterol, EKG, weight

and height, asthma, and brain tumors.

There will be workshops on nutrition and

diabetes, as well as asthma education. A

dental van will be on site, and kids can be

finger printed. For additional information,

call (718) 776-3700 or visit

leroycomrie.com.

This free event will take place at Major-

ity Baptist Church, 115-21 Farmers Blvd.,

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Be Sickle Smart Workshop

The Queens Sickle Cell Advocacy Net-

work, New York Chapter of the National

SCDAA, is pleased to invite you to a “Be

Sickle Smart Empowerment Workshop.”

Join others in your community in an ex-

change of ideas and insights on success-

fully living with Sickle Cell Anemia. At-

tend an important workshop and get edu-

cated on Sickle Cell Disease and Iron

Overload. Get a free screening to see if you

are at risk of Iron Overload. Receive a

personally autographed Sickle Cell Dis-

ease tool kit from Dr. Ian Smith. The first

100 people to register will receive a free T-

shirt and a bag of goodies! Registration is

required to attend this event. Please sub-

mit your registration form at

www.qscan.org. For additional informa-

tion, visit www.qscan.org, or contact

Genay Adams at (718) 712-0873 or

qscan08@gmail.com.

This free event will take place at Crown

Plaza Times Square Hotel, 1605 Broad-

way, from 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

Journeys: A Cultural Celebration

Take a magical trip around the world

and explore the similarities and differ-

ences of various cultures woven together

in a magnificent tapestry of music and

dance. Visit places like Africa, Mexico,

Spain, Scotland, the Middle East, India,

Hawaii, Canada, Ireland and Russia.

When: Saturday, June 18th - 2:00 pm

This free event will take place at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 2 p.m.

MONDAY, JUNE 20

Adult Chess Club

Practice your chess skills weekly, on

Monday and Thursday evenings.

The event is held at 6 p.m. every Mon-

day at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217

St., (718) 776-6800.

Living in America Forum

Please join us for this interactive forum,

“Living in America Now....and then, “I

Remember”....

This free event will take place at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 12:30

p.m.

Discover Your Career Potential

Take the Career Exploration Inven-

tory, a self-scored, easy-to-use survey guide

to choosing a career based on your inter-

ests and experiences.

This free event will take place at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 1 p.m.

Poetry Workshop with Michael

Alpiner

MFA graduate Michael Alpiner will lead

a 90-minute workshop on poetry writing.

This free event will take place at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, JUNE 21

Job Club

Every Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,

the Jamaica Neighborhood Center offers

a free service to assist people from South-

east Queens with job-readiness skill sets in

writing a professional resume and cover

letter; interviewing practices and tech-

niques; applying on-line procedures; el-

evator pitch and Microsoft Suite 2007.

For additional information, contact Lenin

Gross, Job Coach, at (718) 739-2060, Ext.

18 or lgrossjnc@yahoo.com.

This free event will be held at the Jamaica

Neighborhood Center - 161-06 89th Ave.

Camera Club

The Southeast Queens Camera Club

welcomes photographers, beginners to

advanced. Meetings are held the second,

third and fourth Tuesday every month at

7:30 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Family Life Cen-

ter, 177-01 Baisley Blvd.

Walkers for Wellness Club

See Saturday’s listing. At 7 p.m.

Create an Email Account

In this single-session workshop, cus-

tomers will learn how to set up/open their

own email account. Pre-registration is re-

quired in person at the Cyber Center Desk.

Participants must possess basic mouse and

keyboarding skills.

This free event will take place at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

York Observatory Open Night

The York College Observatory is open

to the public every second or third Wednes-

day of the month - rain or shine - at 8:30

p.m. Gather in room 2E01 and then pro-

ceed to the fourth floor terrace off G

corridor if it’s clear. For additional infor-

mation, contact Tim Paglione at

paglione@york.cuny.edu or (718) 262-

2082.

This free event will be held at the York

College Academic Core Building (AC

2E01), 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. from

8:30-9:30 p.m.

JSPOA Action Coalition

Interested in living a better life, getting

information about ramps and lifts, or learn-

ing more about Medicare and Medicaid?

Then join JSPOA’s action coalition. For

additional information, call (718) 657-

6752.

This free event will take place at the

Rockaway Boulevard Senior Center, 123-

10 143rd St., at 10:30 a.m.

JSPOA Annual Meeting

The Jamaica Service Program for Older

Adults’ Chairperson Ann Wilkinson and

President William Collins, Jr. are pleased

to invite you to the JSPOA annual meeting.

Don’t miss this celebration of service to

seniors!

This free event will take place at JSPOA

Theodora G. Jackson Adult Center, 92-47

165th St., at 5:45 p.m.

Grant Writing

Councilman Leroy Comrie is pleased

to present a series of Community Non-

Profit Resource Seminars. This week’s

seminar will focus on grant writing. Topics

covered will include: hiring a grant writer;

advertising; and running a successful non-

profit. For additional information, call

(718) 776-3700 or visit leroycomrie.com.

This free event will take place at the

York College Academic Core Building,

94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, from 6-9 p.m.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

Walkers for Wellness Club

See Saturday’s listing. At 7 p.m.

Union Hall Street Thursdays

Come one come all, to the greatest

block party of them all. Applebee’s, the

Jamaica Center Business Improvement

District, Councilman Leroy Comrie, Ja-

maica First Parking, and the Downtown

Jamaica Open Space Coalition are pleased

to present Union Hall Street Thursdays.

Come on out for and evening of food,

drink, music and dance. Tonight’s special

guest will be the York College Blue Notes

- under the direction of Tom Zlabinger.

This free event will take place at Union

Hall Street (between Jamaica and Archer

Avenues) at 6 p.m.

Discover Your Career Potential

Take the Career Exploration Inven-

tory, a self-scored, easy-to-use survey guide

to choosing a career based on your inter-

ests and experiences.

This free event will take place at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

Senior Theatre Acting Repertory

Calling all older adults: Join our galaxy

of STARs to perform theatrical works at

the library with a great group of people

while brightening your life.

Rehearsals are held at 10:30 a.m. Fri-

days at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217

St., (718) 776-6800.

The group will have a performance at

the Bellerose Library, 250-06 Hillside Ave.,

at 2 p.m.

ONGOING

CPR Training

The FDNY Mobile CPR Training Unit

will hold regularly scheduled free CPR

classes in all five boroughs. The first Tues-

day through the fourth Tuesday and the

fourth Thursday of every month there will

be Borough CPR training sessions in Man-

hattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island

and Queens.

Training is free to anyone over the age

of 14. The goal of this program is increase

the number of people in New York City

trained in bystander CPR Each class lasts

1 hour and participants in the class learn

basic CPR skills from a member of the

FDNY Emergency Medical Service.

Volunteers for the class follow along

using the CPR Anytime Personal Learning

Kit, which features an instructional DVD

and an inflatable mannequin. All partici-

pants are able take home the kit at the end

of class and asked to pledge to use the kit

to show five of their family members and

friends how to perform CPR. This class

teaches basic CPR technique and is not a

certification course.

In Queens, the classes will be held the

fourth Thursday of every month at EMS

Station 54, 222-15 Merrick Blvd. In addi-

tion, please visit www.nyc.gov/cprtogo

for New York Sports Club locations offer-

ing free CPR classes starting in January.

Please visit www.fdnyfoundation.org or

call (718) 999-2413 for more information.

Group Sessions

Clergy United for Community Empow-

erment, Inc. Group Sessions are located at

89-31 161st St., 10th Floor, Jamaica, for

the community on various topics such as

Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Sub-

stance Abuse intervention, Decision Mak-

ing, Condom Use, High Risk Behaviors

leading to HIV, and self – esteem aware-

ness. All group sessions offer light snacks

and beverages. Group sessions are open to

the public.

Round-Trip Metro Card reimbursement

is available at the end of each completed

session. For further information call (718)

297-0720. All services are free. Please call

for next group date.

Except for those offers available until July 1, 2011, all Annual Percentage Yields (APYs) are subject to change without notice. *Super Statement Savings rate of 1.20% APY is guaranteed thru December 31, 2011 and will revert to the bank’s prevailing Savings Account variable rate on January 1, 2012. Minimum deposit is $5,000. **This is a tiered account and APYs will vary with balance. The minimum to open a Power Flex Money Market Account is $1,000. If your daily balance is below $10,000 the APY is .25%. If your daily balance is between $10,000 - $24,999, the APY is .75%. If your daily balance is $25,000 or more, the promotional APY is 1.50% and is guaranteed thru December 31, 2011. The guaranteed rates for the Super Statement Savings Account and the Power Flex Money Market Account only apply to new accounts opened through July 1, 2011 at the Hollis branch. Subject to the rate guarantee, the APYs may change after the account is opened. Fees could reduce earnings. FDIC regulations apply. ***There will be a substantial penalty for premature withdrawals. ‡Visit www.RidgewoodRewards.com or branch for specific program terms. © 2011 Velocity Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. All points earned will be issued by mail, e-mail or in-branch no later than September 30, 2011. †Debit MasterCard® must be activated within the first 60 days of the account opening to earn the 100 points. ††An ACH Direct Deposit must be received within the first 60 days of the account opening. †††Checking Account must be enrolled in eStatements within the first 60 days of the account opening. ††††Three Online Bills must be paid within the first 60 days of the account opening. Offers for new deposits only and may be discontinued at any time. In-bank transfers ineligible. The bank is not responsible for typographical errors.

Member FDIC

For more information, visit www.RidgewoodRewards.com

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WE’RE CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF TREATING YOU LIKE FAMILY IN HOLLIS!

(All offers available only in Hollis and end July 1, 2011.)

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Rate Guaranteed thru Dec. 31, 2011Maximum Deposit is $250,000

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June 11thSpin Ridgewood’s Prize Wheel 1pm – 2pm Balloon Sculptures/Magician 11am – 2pmFree Popcorn 12pm – 2pmSteel Drum Band 11am – 2pm

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205-11 Hillside Avenue, Hollis, NY 11423718-776-9100

www.ridgewoodbank.com

Banking Hours Special Saturday Hours: 9am – 2pm

Walk-Up: Mon to to

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