``xtrib``x``xEkVAEZkuVyuHdeirqc``x1259172456``xRestaurant_Review``x``x``x``x``xA Taste Of Old Italy
DiMAGGIO'S TRATTORIA
706 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington
(516) 944-6363
CUISINE: Italian
HOURS: Seven Days a Week Lunch and Dinner
PARKING: Lot Sat, Sun & Mon-Fri after 5 p.m., other times Street
DELIVERY: No
There are two focal points around which life in Italy revolves: food and family. And neither is in short supply at this charming Port Washington restaurant.
The moment you enter DiMaggio's Trattoria you are welcomed like a long lost relative from the Old Country. There are smiles all around and warmth radiates in every direction, in a style reminiscent of the easy going Italian countryside as opposed to the hustle and bustle of a busy Long Island suburb. The appearance also channels Old World Italy, especially the new backroom that is modeled like an enclosed Tuscan courtyard with a full skylight ceiling to add to the illusion.
On my impromptu visit, I was immediately invited to sit at a table with owners Eddy, Angelo as well as Eddy's father and a regular who has visited the restaurant daily since it first opened in 1978. After browsing indecisively though the vast menu, Eddy assured he would take care of me. And when I exited four dishes later, stomach filled to the brim and feeling completely satisfied, it was clear that he surely had.
Throughout the hour-long late lunch visit, like a meal at grandma's house, the dishes just kept coming and coming without fail.
They started me off on a chicken soup that was an exciting and flavorful new spin on the traditional comfort dish. The broth was chock full of a variety of vegetables and large chunks of tender chicken that overflowed off the spoon up until my very last bite.
Next was a delectable Focaccia Milanese, a flatbread slice drenched in extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with an assortment of herbs and spices that instantly transported me to a street side café in Florence.
After a few pieces, I sampled Mozzarella en Carrozza, my favorite dish of the meal although the competition was fierce. The warm, crispy cheese and bread compilation covered in white wine sauce and topped with capers was fried to perfection. The dish was a true masterpiece and I was sure to ingest every last crumb lingering on the plate.
Lastly, the friendly waitress brought out gnocchi in tomato sauce. Although I resisted, my fellow diners encouraged me to just try it. Five forkfuls later, I was grateful I did. My first foray into the potato-filled pasta was pure perfection.
Aside from the fantastic food and authentic décor, the company was superb. I spent my meal deep in conversation with the owner Eddy's father who treated me to stories about his childhood experiences in wartime Italy and his realization of the American Dream. When I stepped out onto Port Washington Boulevard after a warm round of goodbyes, I felt I was thrust back into reality against my will.
Bottom line: DiMaggio's Trattoria is an escapist's dream. It will teleport you to a place and time where food and family reign supreme and what could possibly be bad about that?
-Kaitlyn Kilmetis
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``xtrib``x``xEkVlZuVukZEjnoxBhp``x1258745427``xQ_Confidential``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x37111258490869``x``xThis California native began modeling in the summer of 2007, and when she moved to Queens so she could go to grad school at NYU, she took her portfolio with her.
Kathy Xu is a Public Relations grad student, working on a thesis of the often-oxymoronic Ethics in Public Relations, and realizes that modeling may not pay the bills in the future.
“I’m in my last semester, and after that I’ll have to find a job,” Kathy said.
Kathy’s enjoying her new home in Flushing – far enough from Main Street where she has to take a bus to the train, but also where the streets are less crowded.
“It’s pretty quiet,” Kathy said. “It takes a while to get into the City, but its okay.”
Between school and interning at a PR firm in Manhattan, Kathy doesn’t get a lot of free time, but when she does she usually spends that time in Manhattan. Back in Flushing, though, she loves the shopping and restaurants.
Describing her favorite shoot as one back home near Monterrey, Kathy occasionally pines for the ocean, rocks and beaches of the West Coast.
We hope she sticks around for a while, though.
What a smart girl.
Good luck!
Kathy Xu
Home: Flushing
Age: 24
Height: 5’ 3"
Weight: 110 lbs
Stats: 33-27-32
``xtrib``x``xEkVlyykyEpFMcPMMqh``x1258662610``xNews``x1939 Boathouse Gets New Life
By Joseph Orovic
A handful of elected and appointed officials announced the restoration of Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s boathouse alongside Meadow Lake.
The $7.7 million project aims to restore and upgrade the interior and exterior of the 1939 World’s Fair relic, as well as pave the surrounding area to provide disabled access to the building.
“I’ve got memories of this park,” said Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) who recollected seeing water skiing on what is the City’s largest lake during the 1969 World’s Fair. The Councilman was joined by Borough President Helen Marshall and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
Workers had already torn off the exterior brick of the building before the press conference and ceremonial shovel-in-dirt took place. The project will renew the structure’s roof, windows and facade, as well as replace the old wooden dock with plastic lumber. Half of the interior will be winterized for meeting spaces, and public restrooms will be added to the southern wing. A portion of the funding will fix drainage problems along the surrounding pathways and along the lake’s edge.
Of the total cash allocated for the two-part restoration, $5.6 million came from Marshall, about $500,000 from Mayor Mike Bloomberg, $1 million from Gennaro, and $625,000 from a grant.
Hong Dragon Boat, Row NY, TASCA and the community at large are among the many groups regularly using the boathouse and its surrounding area.
The work is expected to be completed by spring of 2010.
Reach Reporter Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127.
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``xtrib``x``xEkVluAEylAKxRCOVJn``x1258491689``xBlotter``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x94401258478274``x101st Precinct
GUILTY PLEA: A Far Rockaway man who wanted to “teach a lesson” to a Jamaica, Queens, man to stay away from his girlfriend has pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing the man in the heart in June 2008.
Angel Santiago, 23, of 159 Beach 24th St., Far Rockaway, interrupted jury selection for his trial to plead guilty to second-degree murder. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise, who was to preside at trial, set sentencing for Dec. 14, at which time Santiago faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“The defendant, motivated by jealously, lured the victim out of his house under the pretense of meeting the defendant’s girlfriend – a woman he had befriended on a bus and offered to help get a job,” DA Richard Brown said. “Unbeknownst to the victim, the defendant had orchestrated the meeting with his girlfriend as a set-up and was laying in wait nearby to attack the victim to teach him a lesson to stay away from his girlfriend. The crime of which he has now been convicted was senseless and warrants imposition of a lengthy prison sentence.”
In pleading guilty, Santiago admitted that he had fatally stabbed Guillermo Rojas once in the heart on the night of June 23, 2008. After being stabbed, Rojas ran back to his home nearby where he collapsed and was found by his sister. Shortly thereafter, the deceased’s phone rang and when the sister answered it, she heard a female voice ask if Rojas was okay. The sister turned the phone over to detectives who traced the last call to the defendant.
106th Precinct
FATAL CRASH: On Nov. 6, at approximately 6:30 p.m., police responded to a 911 call of a vehicle accident at North Conduit Avenue and 78th Street. Upon arrival police determined that vehicle a 1996 Dodge traveling westbound on North Conduit Avenue collided with a 2007 Honda traveling also traveling westbound on North Conduit. The Dodge then struck a pole at the location, ejecting a 67-year-old passenger from the vehicle.
She was taken to Brookdale Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The 50-year-old driver and another 46-year-old passenger were taken to Jamaica Hospital where they were listed in stable condition.
The 25-year-old driver of the Honda was also taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
109th Precinct
SWINDLE SALE: A Flushing man has been charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and other charges for allegedly forging the signature of a man whose home had been foreclosed on in an effort to collect the surplus that resulted from a sale of the house.
Harry Coumnas, 50, of 25-25 126th St., Flushing, is charged with second-degree attempted grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree falsifying business records and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. Coumnas faces up to15 years in prison if convicted.
According to the charges, the complainant, Leonard Lum, was the owner of a property located at 73-20 32nd Ave. in Corona, which was foreclosed upon on March 21, 2003. As a result of the foreclosure, there was a surplus of $128,044 owed to him as proceeds from the sale of his property through foreclosure action.
On Dec. 17, 2008, Lum filed an action in Queens Supreme Court to collect the surplus. On Feb. 9, 2009, however, Coumnas, of H.C. Sonic, Inc., allegedly filed a petition with the court in opposition of the complainant’s action, claiming that the complainant had assigned rights to the defendant to collect the $128,044 surplus in exchange for a payment of $25,000.
Coumnas allegedly hired an attorney to file papers in an effort to collect the surplus, which included filing documents bearing the forged signatures of Leonard Lum and his wife, Betty Lum, purportedly assigning the surplus of $128,044 to the defendant in exchange for $25,000. According to the criminal complaint, the Lum never assigned the right to the surplus to the defendant and did not receive the sum of $25,000 from the defendant.
“The defendant is accused of trying to steal a large amount of money owed to the victim in this case – and then challenging the victim in court when the scheme was uncovered,” DA Richard Brown said. “This is yet another example of the importance of vigilantly rooting out and prosecuting the growing number of housing-related frauds we are facing in this county.”
112th Precinct
DEATH FALL: On Wednesday, Nov. 4, at approximately 3:59 p.m. at 104-40 Queens Boulevard, police acting on an anonymous tip, responded to a report of a injured woman. Upon arrival, police discovered a white woman on the ground who was unconscious, unresponsive, and with injuries consistent with a fall.
EMS responded and transported Erica Goldschlager, 20, of 61-20 Grand Central Pkwy., to Jamaica Hospital where at approximately 5:05 p.m. she was pronounced dead from her injuries. There was no criminality suspected. The investigation was ongoing.
115th Precinct
BIKE BANDIT: The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in locating an individual wanted in connection with three robberies. In each incident, the suspect approaches the victims from behind on a bicycle, then forcibly removes their personal property and flees.
The first incident occurred Oct. 10 at about 2:35 p.m. near 32nd Avenue and 103rd Street. The victim was a 48-year-old Hispanic woman. The second incident was two weeks later, Oct. 24, at about 6 p.m., in front of 100-16 37th Ave., and the victim was a 19-year-old Hispanic woman. A 61-year-old Hispanic woman was the victim of the most recent incident, which occurred Oct. 30 at about 2:45 p.m. in front of 35-35 95th St.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man, 25-30 years old, about 5-foot-8, riding a dark bicycle.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto Crime Stoppers Web site at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
The Voters Are Angry And Change Is In The Air``xtrib``x``xEkVlpuAplutFPQoNbr``x1258049084``xNot_for_Publication``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``xBy MICHAEL SCHENKLER
Follow me on Twitter @QueensTribune
The voters are angry.
Last Tuesday’s Election Day had a message.
Voters voted with their emotions reacting to the economy: to not-yet-fixed woes on Main Street, to the jobless rate, to their own difficulty in making ends meet.
They punished the folks in power; incumbents felt their anger. Surprise results all over the map can be traced to voter dissatisfaction with the status quo.
While corporate America may be experiencing the beginnings of an economic recovery, the small businessman keeps looking for signs that the recession is over. While Wall Street and bailed-out firms begin to show surprising profits, opportunities for those laid off or with salary cuts are not improving. While Washington has poured trillions into solving the problem with our economy, the workers and businesses in the neighborhoods are still worried about keeping their heads above water and food on the table.
There is no right and wrong here. The government is trying and has been trying to fix what was broken. Starting with Bush and Paulson and then the Obama administration, money has been thrown at the problem to turn the economy around. But we really don’t feel the relief yet.
And so we went to the polls on Election Day and made the people in office pay.
While we don’t think this is a rejection of the President or a measurement of how the people – especially in our area – feel about him, it is however, a measurement of how they feel about his accomplishments – specifically in handling the recession.
The Nobel Peace Prize, the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, the international goodwill generated do not matter to the voter who struggles to pay his bills. Charisma, political party, and the best intentions do not weigh in when keeping one’s job or one’s business open is an issue.
And so, the people lashed out. Those in office felt it.
Mike Bloomberg did much worse than expected. Neighboring Nassau County Exec Tom Suozzi may have lost his election. Three Republicans were elected in Queens. Corzine lost, Virginia went Republican, the Nassau County Legislature went Republican, the GOP gained in Suffolk County and Westchester County Exec Andy Spano lost.
While many factors influenced each election, the one commonality seems to be that those in office did worse than anticipated. At this moment in history, good for the Republicans, bad for the Democrats.
So what’s the go-forward message?
The Democrats in the House of Representatives have heard. They scurried back to Washington to do something for the people. As I write this on the weekend, the House and the President are working diligently this weekend to give the people of this nation a health care program – with a public option – that is long overdue.
Watch them deal with this problem and return to their district to work harder than before to engage the voters. Each member of the House will face re-election in just a year and they have their work cut out for them.
The voters have made it clear that the people in office are the ones to pay if things don’t improve. So improve they must. It starts with Health Care – the President has set the agenda.
And, “It’s the Economy Stupid,” will be the mantra which drives Washington between now and the 2010 election.
On a more local basis, our illustrious State Legislature is also up in 2010 – every last member of the nation’s most dysfunctional legislature must face the voters during this time of discontent. And the financial challenge in New York State is even greater than the Washington task of fixing the economy.
With an accidental Governor who is feigning a re-election attempt and who appointed a U.S. Senator who can raise money, but has not demonstrated she has the support of the people and hopes to be carried to victory by the senior US Senator who will breeze to re-election, an untested Comptroller, an AG who should be running for Governor, this creates a very dubious team to lead a very dubious and continually failing State Legislature into battle this is the time to test incumbent Deems.
With former Speaker Joe Bruno’s trial just beginning, one of an on-going string of trials of State electeds, incumbency scores no points. All they have is an unlevel playing field and fundraising rules inviting a continuation for the same ol’, same ol’.
But it’s unlikely the State finances will recover quickly, so 2010 may just be the time for a newbie to take down a old, lazy, overfunded incumbent State Legislator. Money can’t buy votes if the people are angry.
Just ask Mike Bloomberg, John Corzine, Tom Suozzi, and and and...
MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com``x``x``x
Budding Writer``xtrib``xIt’s taken 21 years for Gilberte ‘Alisha’ Saint-Preux to find her way to our borough, but only 13 until she knew should be a model.
Five years ago, the 26-year-old moved to Flushing from New Jersey.
“I don’t really like Jersey,” she said. “I wanted to just get away from there.”
But before she even arrived, a high school beauty pageant set her on the path towards a modeling career.
“I really didn’t get into it until I was 18. That’s when it all really started,” Alisha said.
In the time since, she’s had trouble navigating the waters. Her height disqualified her from many a runway gig, and some nincompoops have even called her “too thick.”
It has all spurred on her dreams to ultimately start a modeling agency to help other young girls navigate the troubling waters she faced earlier in her career.
“There’s a lot of BS going on," Alisha explained.
Should that dream not pan out, Alisha does have a backup plan. She’s currently studying Communications and Journalism at Brooklyn College.
Before someone at our paper could even call her crazy for pursuing that field, Alisha quickly qualified her studies.
“I’m more interested in the writing aspect of it,” she said. “I’m not trying to be a journalist or reporter.”
What a smart girl.
Good luck!``xEkVlpuZEZyTTmCKhDp``x1258047176``xQ_Confidential``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
Up For Debate``xtrib``xUp For Debate: Council Eyes School Safety Officers;
Demands More Reporting, Transparency
By Vladic Ravich
Within an hour of Tuesday’s final school bell, well more than 100 students packed the floor and balcony of the Council Chambers during the first hearing on the School Safety Act in two years.
The students stood up whenever the bill was mentioned by name, eventually prompting Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) to ask them to remain in their seats.
“We can see that you’re here,” Quinn said.
The students arrived toward the end of the four-hour hearing, following testimony from advocates, union leaders, students, parents, the Department of Education and the New York Police Department.
The Student Safety Act, which was introduced in August 2008 and has 33 Council co-sponsors, would mark the first major change in the City’s policy of using uniformed NYPD peace officers, called School Safety Agents, for security since the program was introduced nearly 11 years ago.
The bill would require the DOE to make quarterly reports to the Council on the details of each major disciplinary action by school officials, including a breakdown by school, race/ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity and whether the student is in special education.
The NYPD would also be required to report the number of complaints received against SSAs as well as the number of students arrested in school. Finally, the bill would require 311 to handle complaints against SSAs and mandate that schools post clear information on how to file one. Critics claim there have been many publicized and unreported incidents of abuse by SSAs that are not adequately addressed by the NYPD.
The Controversy
The New York Civil Liberties Union has been leading a Student Safety Coalition comprised of dozens of advocacy, religious, legal and education groups. The coalition held a rally before the hearing to highlight what they characterize as a “school to prison pipeline” that they say treats students like prisoners and fails to protect their basic rights.
While the immediate debate centers on the bill at hand, the rhetoric from both sides goes beyond the focus on transparency and data collection at the heart the current bill. Critics see a fundamental problem in having police and metal detectors in schools and view the release of the data as a spring board for a wider debate.
“This important civil rights legislation will shed much-needed light on police practices in our schools. It is a good first step toward establishing school safety procedures that promote learning instead of intimidation, unwarranted arrests and suspensions,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman.
Lieberman called schools “little Rikers” at the rally and laid out the larger criticism in her testimony before the committees.
“Our work has revealed that an over reliance on law enforcement to enforce discipline and the use of de facto zero tolerance policies to remove students from the classroom contribute significantly to the [school to prison] pipeline,” she wrote in her written testimony. “Classroom removals, arrests, court referrals, suspensions, handcuffing and aggressive policing are often overreactions to ordinary adolescent behavior.”
While the bill has the support of the majority of the Council, many of its changes have been criticized by the both the DOE and the NYPD, as “an unnecessary burden,” “unfair” and “potentially damaging to the fabric of our school communities.”
The Existing Data
The NYPD argued the current SSA program works and the demands of the bill would force them to divert ever-dwindling resources to record keeping. They also cite consistently positive statistics on record-low school crime rates.
Assistant Chief James Secreto, the commanding officer of the NYPD’s School Safety Division, said that total crime in schools decreased 34 percent this decade. Violent crimes decreased by 25 percent since 2001 and the seven major index felonies fell by a third. Non-criminal incidents and weapons possessions also were almost halved.
This decrease occurred as the ranks of the SSAs swelled from 3,041 to 5,249, making the division the fifth largest police force in the country. The NYPD also noted that more than nine of every 10 SSAs are black or Hispanic and more than two thirds are women.
These unarmed, but uniformed SSAs receive a 14-week training course and have the right to make arrests.
The NYPD’s numbers were challenged at the hearing. Critics charge that the 73 percent increase in the number of SSAs is bound to decrease crime, but similar gains could have been accomplished if the City boosted counselors’ ranks. SSAs outnumber guidance counselors by 60 percent.
Furthermore, United Federation of Teacher President Michael Mulgrew openly challenged the accuracy of the statistics. “This is NYPD data only,” he said, “We cannot have an honest conversation about what is going on inside our schools.”
Mulgrew argued that schools are afraid to be placed on a troubled schools list and underreport their incidents to avoid the negative consequences. “There is too much gaming [of the numbers] going on inside City schools,” he said.
The DOE also presented numbers supporting the SSA program in its current form. Elayna Konstan, the chief executive officer of the Office of School and Youth Development, pointed to decreased disciplinary infractions and noted that 85 percent of students receiving a superintendent’s suspension did not commit another serious offense that year. Less than 1 in 20 students were suspended more than twice.
In the Citywide Learning Environment Survey, some 76 percent of students said they feel safe at school; 92 percent of teachers and 93 percent of parents agreed. However, the survey results were scrutinized by Education Committee Chairman Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan), who questioned whether the respondents to the survey were representative of the school-age public.
Stephen Cruz, a student at Robert F. Kennedy High School in Flushing, recently received a settlement from the City of over $50,000 for injuries sustained when an SSA allegedly kicked open a restroom stall that Cruz was using. The door struck Cruz’s face, cutting him below his hairline. The agent then walked away without offering to help the bleeding student.
Three quarters of students at RFK responded to the latest LES survey results and 77 percent agree or strongly agreed that SSAs “help to promote a safe and respectful learning environment.” Whether that number is a sign of success or failure depends on how you interpret such figures.
Devil in the Details
The NYCLU cites overwhelming support among the Council members in all three committees working on the bill, and the tone of the legislators in attendance implied that he bill was likely to pass, even though the language may undergo further changes.
Councilman and Public Safety Chairman Peter Vallone (D-Astoria) has opposed a previous version of the bill because of the cost of requiring the Civilian Complaints Review Board to assume control of all SSA complaints. The current bill dropped that provision and complaints will still be handled by NYPD’s own Internal Affair Bureau, although the raw data on these incidents will become public.
Vallone began the hearing by criticizing the DOE for failing to comply with a 2005 law that mandates disclosure of school criminal incidents by category and school. He also expressed frustration with NYPD’s methodology for collecting statistics.
“If you’re not going to comply with [the other law], we’re going to have some problems with this one also,” said Vallone.
Quinn characterized the bill as a way to get raw data into the public arena to scrutinize the program’s success and problems. “Uniformity in this type of information is critical,” she said.
She also noted that a vast majority of SSAs perform their jobs with professionalism and dedication.
“We want a bill that is not just right in concept,” said Quinn, “We also want to avoid unintended consequences.”
Reach Reporter Vladic Ravich at vravich@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 121.
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Flushing Savings Bank Repays Bailout Funds``xtrib``xBy Joseph Orovic
Flushing Savings Bank's parent company, Flushing Financial Corp, paid back the U.S. government $70 million it had received as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
The company also unloaded $100 million worth of fresh stock, cutting the number of shares warranted to the Treasury in half.
"We have been throughout this recession a well-capitalized financial company with strong earnings," said John R. Burns, the company's president and CEO. "The success of our recent stock offering and improved tangible common equity has further improved our ability to compete in our market."
The TARP Capital Purchase program allows a company to repurchase its stock after its designated regulator thumbs up the reacquisition - the Office of Thrift Supervision in Flushing Financial's case.
Initial law limited a company's ability to repurchase its warranted stocks the first three years after receiving help from the government, but the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allowed Flushing Financial to make its move.
The company reduced the number of remaining warranted shares the U.S. Treasury held to 375,806 from 751,611.
TARP was begun during the initial economic downturn during the late summer of 2008 by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Recently, the U.S. Treasury has employed a series of "stress tests" for the nation's 19 largest banks before allowing them to repay their TARP funds, to ensure the companies can remain financially solvent after the money is returned.
The new equity and redemption of TARP will allow us to continue to more effectively grow as we leverage our strong capital position to deliver value to our shareholders.
Reach Reporter Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127
The new equity and redemption of TARP``xEkVlpuFFpkIVRGXUrE``x1258043302``xNews``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
Big Stink Over Noxious Trees``xtrib``xBy Lori Gross
Barry Plonski said at his polling place on Election Day that he’d vote for any Council candidate who would get rid of the stinky Ginkgo Biloba trees near his home on 210th Street and 43rd Avenue in Bayside. “They are absolutely noxious,” he said, placing the smell at the olfactory intersection of animal feces and vomit.
The real stink comes from the orange- or green-colored fruit born by female Ginkgo trees – an Asian delicacy for soups and stews, with the large seed going for about $4 of $5 per pound in Flushing. “Very fortunately, Korean people love these fruits,” said Plonski, also saying that if it wasn’t for the Asian gleaners he and his neighbors often see shaking trees, and coaxing fruits down with poles, the smell would be “truly unbelievable.”
Maria Yates said the relationship between neighborhood residents and gleaners wasn’t always symbiotic, in the past she would work aggressively to discourage gleaners from leaving the carcass of the fruit in lieu of the seed. “You can’t be doing this, because people suffer from headaches because of the fruit,” she would tell poachers.
The spilt fruit burns the pads of dogs’ feet, peels the paint off cars, and once posed a mortal danger; an incident Yates recounted from eight years ago left a man dead, after he used a metal pole to cut loose the fruits. The pole ended up also cutting an electric cable. After chasing the man to warn him against the use of a metal pole, she saw him collapse dead just around the corner.
The trees were initially planted by the City because they contend well with urban problems like soil compaction, pollution, and narrow spaces.
Yates reported to the Parks Dept. and Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) this fall that of the 20 gingko trees in her immediate neighborhood, 15 of them are female. Padavan corresponded with Parks Dept. Commissioner Adrian Benepe, who wrote several weeks later back to Yates, saying “despite the admittedly displeasing smell,” the trees were of value to the city because they reduce pollution, improve air quality, and enhance property values.
It is the policy of the Parks Dept. not to remove a tree unless it dies or has an infectious disease.
A spokesman for the Parks Dept. said no more female trees (the fruit bearers) will be planted, or have been planted in years, due to complaints. The spokesman also said the trees typically do not spawn on their own.
Reach Reporter Lori Gross at lgross@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124.``xEkVlpuFEElGIXzKGyc``x1258043118``xNews``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
Boro Fans Flock To Yankee Parade``xtrib``xBy KAITLYN KILMETIS
While a portion of the borough’s population – the Mets faithful – may have made a point to steer clear of Canyon of Heroes on Friday, a number of Queens residents, many whose allegiance does not lie with the hometown heroes, ventured into Manhattan, along with more than a million others to celebrate the Bronx Bombers’ 27th World Series win.
The train in from Jamaica Station was filled to the brim with proud passengers rooting against their borough’s resident baseball squad, decked out from head to toe in Yankees regalia, proudly pronouncing their turn coat tendencies.
Cheers often rang out on the usually silent morning commuter line. The cars were abuzz with talk about the best spots to see the procession, recollections of Matsui’s stellar performance and even an excited young fan posing a number of hypothetical questions to two middle-aged women in pinstripe jerseys and navy hats:
“Would you leave your husbands to be with Derek Jeter?” “Would you let your children go to Harvard, if they were accepted? If so, would you disown them if they became Red Sox fans?” The women, and the surrounding passengers, responded with a gaggle of giggles.
At one of the many parade cross streets, Ridgewood native Sal Angioletti attempted to wiggle his way up to the front of the crowd at Vesey and Broadway as white ticker-tape rained down from the skyscrapers above. After realizing the gridlocked mass of humanity would not allow him to proceed any closer to the Canyon of Heroes, Angioletti settled into his spot and began to mingle with his fellow fans – keeping a number of New Yorkers and their neighbors from New Jersey entertained with his constant commentary, thick Queens accent and affinity for slang.
“The atmosphere is like no other,” Angioletti said. “Even if they win every year, it’s like a once-in-a-lifetime experience each and every time.”
Angioletti said that he did not think his borough brothers sat home in solidarity after a World Series that was widely considered a Mets fan’s worst nightmare.
“I think all of New York came out for this,” said Angioletti, although he acknowledged he had only spotted a handful of Amazins’ logos the entire morning.
After the festivities ended, including an impromptu celebratory mosh pit complete with confetti wars and obscenity-laced cheers in front of City Hall, at the platform in the Canal Street subway station a number of Queens parade goers awaiting the Z and J lines to take them back to the borough where the Mets reign supreme, reflected on the day’s events bursting with a familiar breed of Yankee pride.
Jamaica Estates’ Ahmad Ali said although the weather was chilly, the parade was worth the shivers and standing for hours in the cold.
“We haven’t been here for nine years, so it’s a nice visit back,” Ali said.
He noted a majority of the supporters he interacted with were from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey.
“This is how we get together and how we unify,” said Ali, who also added he saw across his hometown borough a number of bitter Mets fans sporting their jerseys in spite.
“I didn’t let it get me down,” Ali said. “I was too happy today.”
Reach Reporter Kaitlyn Kilmetis at kkilmetis@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.``xEkVlpuFplypwYnwxlL``x1258043086``xNews``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
Ex-Teachers' Checks Restored``xtrib``xBy Lori Gross
Almost all retired New York City teacher's pension checks that were electronically canceled last Friday have been restored, according to a representative from Bank of New York Mellon.
Checks written to tens of thousands of retired teachers, reportedly worth $187 million, were restored on Monday and Tuesday by the bank, which attributed the cancellation to a processing error.
A statement on the bank's Web site read, "BNY Mellon fully appreciates the importance of reliable, accurate service in connection with bank accounts, and understands and regrets the complications this error has created for the retirees. Processing global payments averaging $1.6 trillion per day, BNY Mellon is committed to maintaining the highest standards of performance."
BNY Mellon agreed to refund all overdrafts and fees from other banks. A representative said most other banks were willing to wave those fees, but some were not, so BNY Mellon sent them a credit. Some retirees had been refunded twice, and called in to report the error. Retirees with questions can call 1 (800) 242-9100.
Reach Reporter Lori Gross at lgross@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124``xEkVlpuFpEkMTRFDSRj``x1258043012``xNews``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
Holocaust Remembered In Ceremony ``xtrib``xBy David Schneier
As the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Holocaust survivors and the Queens community commemorated the night’s other anniversary, Kristallnacht in 1938 Germany.
On that dark night, 267 German synagogues were destroyed, 99 Jews killed, 25,000 to 30,000 Jews sent to concentration camps, and thousands of businesses and homes ransacked on Kristallnacht, German for the “night of shattering glass,” that littered the streets of Germany.
Erica Gorin, born in Berlin and a Forest Hills resident, remembers waking up from the glow of the fires and “found that all the synagogues were burning. I went to my synagogue and saw the fire department standing by as it burned. They were making sure the neighboring houses wouldn’t burn.” There was a crowd of people who watched and “were very happy. Mothers were holding up their babies to show them.” As she went to a friend’s house, Gorin saw “all the Jewish stores were smashed, glass over the street.”
“It was the beginning of the Holocaust,” she said.
“Up until that time, the screws were tightening in Germany,” said German-born Rabbi Manfred Gans, who left Germany a year before. Jews could not make a living or go to school, but when Kristallnacht happened, he said, it was the beginning of the Holocaust because the Germans saw they could get away with it. The world did nothing. Nonetheless, the rabbi was still surprised upon hearing of Kristallnacht while in America.
More than 200 people attended the Nov. 9 commemoration held at Machane Chadash (Hebrew for new encampment) synagogue n Forest Hills, where Rabbi Manfred Gans has been the spiritual leader for the past 57 years. Founded in late 1939 by German Jewish immigrants, many of its congregants are Holocaust survivors.
Rabbis from the local synagogues recited King David’s Psalms, Lamentations, and prayers. Six memorial candles, symbolizing 6 million Jews killed, were lit by Borough President Helen Marshall, former Borough President Claire Shulman, State Sen. Toby Stavisky, Assemblyman Rory Lancman, former City Councilman Morton Povman and Dr. Arthur Flug of the Holocaust Center at Queensborough Community College.
“They were killed for one reason: they were Jewish,” said keynote speaker Rabbi Pesach Krohn, a noted author and lecturer. “They died as a sanctification of God’s name. We must live as a sanctification of God’s name.”
They were not just survivors; they were active in surviving, then building lives, families, and institutions afterwards.
So should we, said Rabbi Krohn.``xEkVlpukAZuOcCDpspC``x1258042974``xNews``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
Gay Marriage Put Off, Albany Treads Water ``xtrib``xBy Vladic Ravich
While New Yorkers were following their local races on Election Day, a referendum in Maine retracting that State's same sex marriage laws reanimated advocates on both sides of the issue in the Empire State.
Gov. David Paterson has been actively pushing for gay marriage since his State of the State address in January. The State Assembly passed it in May, with five Republicans joining the Democrats in a landslide vote. All eyes turned to the razor-thin Democratic majority in the State Senate.
That staring contest has continued unabated, with hardly a week going by without a legislator reinserting into the public dialogue. This week proved to be a particularly noisy one, with Paterson adding gay marriage to the agenda of a special session that also included a massive budget slashing bill.
To the surprise of few, the single-day session did not resolve either issue, but Democratic leader John Sampson did promise an up or down vote on the issue this year. The Democrats need 32 votes to pass the measure, but reports indicate about five Democrats opposed or tight lipped about the issue.
Some of that support may have slipped after Maine's referendum brought national attention to the question of just how popular the idea of same sex marriage is among voters.
The most obvious hurdle is garnering enough Republican support to pass the bill, but the Democrats also risk angering the staunchly anti-gay marriage Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx), who has reportedly left open the possibility of supporting Republicans such as Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) should the bill come to a vote.
Other Democratic leaders have further complicated the issue by trying to tie the bill to other agendas. Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx) said he wanted the gay marriage bill to be linked to farm workers rights.
Gay rights advocates, who have contributed significant financial and political support to State Democrats, have become increasingly frustrated with the delays, going so far as to threaten the conference into action this week, lest they temper their support for the party in the 2010 elections.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg wrote a letter to all 62 senators after winning a third term. "The bill advances the fundamental democratic idea that government should treat all people equally and that all persons stand equal before the law," Bloomberg wrote. "It also removes a government intrusion into the personal liberty of New Yorkers; government has no business dictating to consenting adults whom they may or may not marry."
Reach Reporter Vladic Ravich at vravich@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 121.``xEkVlpukVEyNdoUGaGn``x1258042516``xDeadline``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x
EPA Seeks Superfund For Newtown Creek``xtrib``xBy KAITLYN KILMETIS
Newtown Creek may soon be added to a federal list of toxic sites that urgently need to be cleaned up.
Last week, state and federal environmental agencies held two meetings with neighbors on both sides of the contaminated waterway to discuss creation of a new Superfund site to push for the clean-up of Newtown Creek.
The Tuesday and Thursday meetings were led by the Newtown Creek Monitoring Committee and the Newtown Creek Alliance, respectively, and featured representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
At the Thursday community forum, the EPA presented a comprehensive Power Point presentation and Walter Mugdan, the director of Superfund in Region 2, fielded questions from the audience – he also answered 15 questions compiled by members of the Newtown Creek Alliance.
First, Mugdan clarified that the Superfund listing is only concerned with the mud and sediment at the bottom of the creek, while other groups are focused on aspects of the creek including the water quality and the ExxonMobil oil spill, though sometimes the issues may overlap. Mugdan covered a wide range of topics from advocating the creation of a community advisory group to explaining the superfund process as a whole.
Mugdan said the objective of the clean up is to ensure that fish in the creek are edible. He identified the food chain affected by contaminated mud, which makes its way from worm to birds and humans. Ultimately, the long term goal of the federal, state and city government is swimability, but after more than a century of pollution Mugdan does not anticipate this waterway will ever be swimable. He said preliminary planning has estimated the process to get the water to be safe for fishing will take approximately 15 years.
“If you ever want to see the canal cleaned up,” he said, “Superfund is your best bet.”
Mugdan also explained how the Superfund process gives the EPA “extraordinary authority,” which can either be viewed as a positive measure to “streamline the process” or a detrimental provision that will “deprive people of their day in court.”
Mugdan identified the process, already in its beginning stages, by which the EPA will pursue the list of polluters to be held accountable. Although the five major potentially responsible parties, ExxonMobil, BP Amoco, Chevron Texaco, Phelps Dodge and National Grid, will be expected to be the major financiers of the cleanup, Mugdan warned the five large players can, and most likely will, go after smaller businesses to make the party of potentially responsible parties list longer.
Mugdan attempted to quell small business owners’ fears, assuring that the EPA is more interested in seeking large amounts of reparations rather than nominal payments from small companies. He also asserted that the EPA will work with smaller potentially responsible parties to ensure that contributing to the clean up will not run them out of business.
Audience members voiced their concerns in response to Mugdan’s run down of the Newtown Creek logistics.
One woman in the crowd questioned the EPA about the economic impact the Superfund designation would have on local businesses and whether they foresee a “chilling effect on investments.”
Mugdan replied that he believes those who choose to situate themselves on the shores of the creek do so for the intrinsic value of the location and the “Superfund stigma will not deter them from pursuing their investment.”
Next, a man in the audience asked about decreased property values in the surrounding area due to the negative connotations attached to the designation.
“There is no one that thinks of it as a lovely Adirondack stream. Everyone knows it’s contaminated,” said Mugdan, who added that he suspects there will be a temporary drop in value that will rectify itself once people’s fear is replaced by understanding.
Lastly, a member of the Long Island City Community Boathouse questioned whether kayaking in the creek poses a health risk. Mugdan said the water will not poison on contact but he added he would advise “don’t tip.”
An EPA representative said although there aren’t any other community forums currently scheduled, there will certainly be others in coming months.
“I’m sure well be seeing a lot more of one another,” Mugdan said at the forum’s close.
The Newtown Creek site is in a public comment period until Dec. 23.
Information about Newtown Creek can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/newtowncreek/ or through EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator Wanda Ayala at ayala.wanda@epa.gov.
Reach Reporter Kaitlyn Kilmetis at kkilmetis@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.
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Senate May Not Have Power To Expel``xtrib``xThough the State Senate has created a Committee of Inquiry exploring possible disciplinary action against State Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona), according to past cases, scholars and his attorney, its constitutional powers remain questionable at best.
“It’s not readily apparent from the [State] Constitution that the Legislature has the power to remove one of its own members,” said Professor Eric Lane of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.
The first meeting among the Senate’s nine-member Committee of Inquiry happened Monday. The committee is headed by Senator Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan) and includes Queens’ Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing). It is comprised of five Democrats and four Republicans.
The State Assembly has attempted to remove members twice before, most recently in the case of Assemblywoman Gerdi E. Lipshutz (D-Rockaway) in 1987.
Despite finding the legislator had falsely certified documents and created a “no-show” job for political gain, the Committee on Ethics and Guidance “found that there is an absence of any provision in the New York Constitution authorizing the Assembly to expel a member and therefore there is significant doubt as to the authority of the House to take such action.”
Some members of the committee went on to serve higher offices, including George Pataki and Alan Hevesi.
The Assembly ultimately censured Lipshutz and proposed an amendment to the State Constitution authorizing expulsion. It ultimately never passed.
“Twenty years ago they couldn’t even do it, and they can’t do it today, so the question is why are we having this discussion?” said Chad Seigel, one of Monserrate’s attorneys.
Seigel said two letters were sent to attorneys working for the committee, with a response promised shortly. He enumerated Monserrate’s objections, one founded upon the Constitution limitations, while also asserting the Dec. 19 incident that sparked the inquiry and ultimately a misdemeanor conviction for reckless assault predated his taking the oath of office for the Senate.
Only one case in the Legislature’s history saw legislators expelled, in 1920. Five members of the Assembly were known Socialists and had opposed all measures supporting the nation’s World War I efforts.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee was able to bar the legislators through the use of a power to review members’ “qualifications,” finding that their refusal to back the war conflicts with their duty to uphold the Federal and State Constitution. The ruling disqualified them from taking the oath of office and voided all past oaths.
The State Constitution did contain a provision allowing for the expulsion of legislative members in the 1820s, but it was removed entirely and not reinstated since.
The findings leave it unclear how Monserrate will approach the committee, with his attorney admitting, “Procedurally we’re operating in uncharted waters.”
Monserrate’s attorneys have repeatedly called the proceedings a political witch trial, sparked after this summer’s coup, which brought legislating to a standstill for a month.
“In essence what we’re having is a potential majority of the Senate that can expel whom it pleases,” Seigel said.
Should the committee decided to expel Monserrate, Seigel promised a continuing battle in court.
Reach Reporter Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127.``xEkVlpupZFpMihPKqIm``x1258040730``xDeadline``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x``x