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Volume 12 Issue No. 11 March 18-24, 2011

Online at www.QueensPress.com

MURDER RATE SOARS:

Black men murdering other black men represents the most dramatic increase in violence citywide, with images of taped-off crime scenes popping up more frequently in Southeast Queens. By Sasha Austrie…Page 10

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News BriefsMWBE On CB 12’s Mind

At Community Board 12’s monthly

meeting, Richard Hellenbrecht, commu-

nity relations manager for the Delta Ter-

minal Redevelopment Project, asked at-

tendees to pass on the message for the

need of Minority and Women’s Business

Enterprise to participate in the project.

The project, which is worth about

$650 million in construction and about

$1 billion overall, sets aside 12 percent

for minority owners and 5 percent for

women. Also, it is seeking to fill 30 per-

cent of the slots for skilled minority labor-

ers.

Hellenbrecht said four multimillion-

dollar contracts have already been

awarded to big construction companies,

which are not minority- or women-owned

businesses.

Many voiced their opposition to the

minimal percentage set aside for minority

businesses.

Board member James Heyliger, II sug-

gested the Port Authority carve out a

higher percentage of the project for mi-

nority businesses under HUD Rules. He

said two of the chosen construction com-

panies, Bovis Construction Corporation

and Scalamandre Construction, have

been fined at least $700,000 for MWBE

fraud.

“How do you keep giving these com-

panies contracts when they don’t hire us?”

he asked.

Board member founder and CEO of

the Association of Women Construction

Workers of America Herlema Owens said

she met with Delta representatives once

in reference to getting people from the

community to work on the project. Owens

has reached out to Delta to sign up at

least 160 people for positions and has not

gotten an answer.

“When they say they are putting our

people to work, they are not,” she said.

Hellenbrecht told the group that the

project was still in the early stages and

there was still a lot of work to be done.

“Early on or not people are feeling like

they are not getting their fair share,” said

Chairwoman Adjoa Gzifa. “We should be

in on the ground f loor.”

NYPD Chief and Community Affairs

Division Commanding Officer Phillip

Banks, III gave the Community Board an

overview of his command post. The Com-

munity Affairs Division includes the

School Safety Division. He said the

NYPD is conducting surveys with students

to get an understanding of how it could

improve service.

He spoke of the Youth Services Divi-

sion and the summer camp that it hosts.

Banks said the NYPD is willing to attend

civic and block association meetings to

give a presentation on how to protect

yourself. Crime prevention videos will be

posted on the Community Affairs Web

site, www.nyc.gov/nypd.

Local Bank Aids Japan

New York Community Bancorp, the

parent company of New York Commu-

nity Bank and New York Commercial

Bank, announced Monday that it has es-

tablished a relief fund for the victims of

the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The NYCB Family of Banks is coordi-

nating this effort to enable its employees

and customers to easily and effectively

make donations, and to double the ben-

efit of the donations they make.

“We are all devastated by the events

that occurred in Japan, and as members

of the world community, we are all com-

pelled to act,” said Company President

and Chief Executive Officer Joe Ficalora.

“By matching the funds contributed in our

branches, we can double the benefit of

the donations made by our customers and

employees, which will support the incred-

ible relief work being done by The Salva-

tion Army in Japan.

“As a community bank, we have a com-

mitment to supporting the causes that are

important to our customers and our em-

ployees, and providing relief for the

people of Japan is certainly important to

us all. Immediately following the disaster,

representatives of The Salvation Army in

Japan were dispersed to the most severely

affected areas, where they are distribut-

ing basic necessities to survivors and as-

sessing the ongoing need for help. We are

proud to provide them with our support.”

Donations can be made at any of The

NYCB Family of Bank’s more than 270

branches in New York, New Jersey, Ohio,

Florida, and Arizona, and no gift is too

small. The NYCB Family of Banks in-

cludes New York Community Bank and

its seven local divisions – Queens County

Savings Bank, Roslyn Savings Bank,

Richmond County Savings Bank,

Roosevelt Savings Bank, Garden State

Community Bank, AmTrust Bank, and

Ohio Savings Bank – as well as New York

Commercial Bank and its Atlantic Bank

Division.

To find the nearest branch in your area,

please visit nycbfamily.com or

amtrust.com.

TLC Plan OKs ‘Gypsy’ Hail

The Taxi and Limousine Commission

unveiled a new plan last week to allow

“gypsy cabs” in the outer borough to le-

gally pick up passengers who hail them

on the street.

Currently, it is illegal for livery cabs to

pick up passengers who do not call ahead

for a car service, making it nearly impos-

sible to legally hail a cab in boroughs that

often finds yellow taxis in short supply.

A lack of meters in livery cabs leads to

the potential price gouging of riders when

livery cabs are hailed. Typically a price is

quoted over the phone when a customer

calls in for service; no such guarantee ex-

ists when hailed from the street,

“What we are trying to do is legalize

something people will take advantage of,”

said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner

David Yassky at a Community Board 6

meeting on March 9. “Our plan is to let

the car services who serve the boroughs

already, if they choose to, do street hail

service.”

Under the new rules, call-ahead cab

companies can opt to join in a program

to pick up passengers who hail them down

in outer boroughs to take them anywhere

in the City, including Manhattan. Cabs

would be allowed to make one return

hailed fare trip from Manhattan back into

the outer boroughs.

Cabs involved in the program would

have to adhere to certain regulations; they

would need to be painted yellow, have a

roof “on-duty” light, have working meters

and be able to take credit cards.

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Hospital Cans CEO Linked To Bribes

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

David Rosen, CEO of MediSys, the

group that runs Jamaica Hospital, Flush-

ing Hospital and Peninsula Hospital in

Rockaway, as well as a number of care

facilities for adults and the mentally ill,

was fired by the company’s board of di-

rectors on Monday.

Rosen had been named as a co-defen-

dant in an indictment handed down last

week that included two Brooklyn state leg-

islators; Sen. Carl Kruger and Assembly-

man William Boyland Jr. Rosen’s sacking

was confirmed by MediSys spokesman

Michael Hinck.

“In 2009 the board was advised by the

New York State Department of Health

about what was only an investigation at

that time. We were awaiting a resolution

by the U.S. Attorney before taking any

action,” Hinck said Tuesday, “Following

last Thursday’s action, the board met on

Monday and voted to remove Mr. Rosen.”

Hinck said Rosen was removed be-

cause of the indictment and will receive

no severance pay. He added the company

and the board was cooperating with au-

thorities. Rosen was replaced by COO

Bruce Flanz, who has been with MediSys

since 1975 and has served as COO since

1980.

The indictment alleges Rosen,

through fake companies, bribed Kruger

and former Assemblyman Anthony

Seminerio (D-Richmond Hill) to support

a MediSys purchase of other Queens hos-

pitals, including now-closed St. Johns

Queens Hospital in Elmhurst and Mary

Immaculate in Jamaica.

Seminerio died in prison a few months

ago after pleading guilty to corruption

charges and resigning from

the Assembly in 2009. The

indictment also alleges

Rosen paid a salary to

Boyland Jr. for a no-show

consultant job. MediSys

also operates Brookdale

Hospital in Brooklyn, which

receives most of its funding

from the state.

In June 2010, the State

Dept. of Health recom-

mended then-Attorney

General Andrew Cuomo in-

vestigate Rosen when

MediSys’ former counsel

Margaret Johnson sued the

company after she was fired

in 2008 in response to the

termination of a lower-level

lawyer hired to represent

MediSys in the Seminerio

case. Johnson said she felt

a conflict of interest was de-

veloping between the law-

yer, Victor Rocco, and

Rosen.

Rosen was not the only hospital fig-

ure in Queens to be indicted in what U.S.

Attorney Preet Bharara called “an unholy

alliance of politicians, lobbyists and busi-

nessmen.” Also named in the indictment

was Robert Aquino, former CEO of de-

funct Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills.

Jamaica Hospital and its parent company are central to a

massive bribery scandal involving a Senator and Assembly-

man from Brooklyn.

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Caught In Kruger Net:

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

The economic reality of a fiscal crunch,

and the painful cuts it may cause, took

center stage at a town hall meeting hosted

by Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St.

Albans) on the evening of March 10.

A cluster of representatives from

city agencies were in attendance to ad-

dress community concerns.

“Senior cuts and cuts to organizations

are happening right now,” said Comrie.

He urged residents to visit their state poli-

ticians and lobby them to stop $2 billion in

proposed cuts. Comrie said if the cuts are

adopted, 103 senior centers will close and

more than 4,000 teachers could be laid

off.

“I encourage and almost insist that you

contact your state representative,” he said.

Dept. of Aging representative Darnley

Jones said Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-

Paoli was doing all she could to keep as

many senior centers open.

“The commissioner is not happy with

making these cuts,” Comrie said.

The criteria for closing the centers are

based on the number of meals and visits

per day, as well as maintenance costs.

Comrie reiterated the importance of

putting pressure on the state legislature

and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to staunch bud-

gets.

SEQ Decries Coming Budget Squeeze

“Alpha Phi Alpha is two miles from the

nearest center and during the summer it is

a cooling center,” he said. “We will do

everything we can to keep it open.”

A woman in attendance asked about an

after school program, which had its bud-

get slashed by $30,000. She asked if there

would be any help.

Dale Joseph, assistant commissioner

for Community Partnerships and Advo-

cacy at the Administration for Children’s

Services, answered with the mantra of the

evening.

“There is no possibility of new funds to

support the program,” she said. “This stage

in the game, the City is facing some really

tough times and tough [choices].”

Even programs meant to house the

City’s homeless population are facing deep

budget cuts. Section 8 vouchers are no

longer being given out and the Work Ad-

vantage program will be discontinued as

of April 1. City Dept. of Homeless Service

Government Relations Director Lisa Black

said the agency is advocating for the res-

toration of two thirds of the program’s

funding.

“We cannot sustain the $200 million

program,” she said.

A familiar topic that many Southeast

Queens residents have asked at one time

or another surfaced at the meeting: the

bevy of shelters in Southeast Queens that

are primarily housed in Community Board

12.

DHS Community Relations Director

Alex Zablocki said the agency operates

250 shelters Citywide, 18 in Queens and

10 within the bounds of CB 12. He said the

shelters are placed at available spaces.

Zablocki added DHS tries to place

people back into their community.

“Fifty two percent of the applicants are

from CB 12,” he said.

Aquino is alleged to have paid $60,000

to shell companies set up by Kruger in

2008 to bribe the Senator to support a

plan to allow Parkway Hospital to buy

other hospitals, including St. Johns and

Mary Immaculate.

Since Parkway Hospital’s closure,

Aquino has been pressuring local officials

to restore Parkway Hospital’s operating

certif icate. John Krall , a friend of

Aquino’s, appeared at March meetings of

Community Boards 9 and 6, only days

before the indictments were handed

down, asking for support in reopening

Parkway. Krall told the boards that Aquino

had lined up $75 million to operate the

hospital and only needed its operating cer-

tificate restored, but when asked, would

not specify where the money came from.

The indictments put in question the

financial situation of the cash-strapped

MediSys. In late 2009, Jamaica Hospital

was running far in the red and at risk of

closure, but last summer, MediSys said

Flushing Hospital was running in the

black. A 2009 report from Price

Waterhouse Coopers suggested that Ja-

maica Hospital was no longer economi-

cally viable. A MediSys spokesman would

not comment this week on the company’s

or hospital’s finances.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

Council members Ruben Wills and Leroy Comries speak at a March 10 town hall meeting.

Comrie said legislation is currently be-

ing drafted to thwart the Padavan Law,

which allowed group homes and shelters

to bypass local zoning as long as they met

state codes. Though DHS contends that it

only has 10 shelters in CB 12, Comrie

argued that added with private shelters

and group homes, the area is inundated.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

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

7400, Ext. 123.

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BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Some Queens officials and members of

the Muslim community are decrying Con-

gressional hearings being held by U.S.

Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island), chair of

the House Homeland Security Commit-

tee, on radicalization in Muslim-Ameri-

can communities.

Standing with a sign that said “I am a

Muslim too,” Councilman Danny Dromm

(D-Jackson Heights) held a rally with

some of his Muslim constituents in front

of his office on 37th Avenue on March 6

before last week’s hearings. He called the

hearings “Muslim-baiting.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) was

Locals Rail Against Muslim Hearingsone of 56 Democratic members of Congress

who signed a letter urging King to cancel the

hearings before they were held last week.

“Singling out one religious group and

blaming the actions of individuals on an

entire community is not only unfair, it is

unwise — and it will not make our country

any safer,” read the letter.

Rami Nuseir, president and founder of

the Long Island City-based American

MidEast Leadership Network, called the

hearings “counter-effective.”

“I agree with [King] that we need to pay

attention to homeland terrorism,” he said,

“but the packaging was wrong. I under-

stand what he was trying to do, but the

hearings were very narrowly focused.”

Nuseir said the hearings gave “blank

judgment” to the Islamic religion at a time

when American Muslims are needed to

fight terrorism.

“We should be encouraging the main-

stream Muslim community to be key play-

ers,” he said. “Instead [Rep. King] created

more enemies. When you start pointing

the finger, people become defensive, and

when they become defensive, they be-

come radical.”

Nusier added the best way to prevent

homegrown terrorism is to “engage” Mus-

lims in aspects of our culture, like sports.

“Let them feel that they’re a part of

America,” he said.

At the March 10 hearing, U.S. Rep.

Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), the first Mus-

lim elected to Congress, spoke of para-

medic Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a

Pakistani-born resident of Bayside who

died while responding to the Sept. 11

attacks and was initially mistaken as being

one of the terrorists involved.

“Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a

fellow American who gave his life for

other Americans,” said Ellison, fighting

back tears. “His life should not be defined

as a member of an ethnic group or a mem-

ber of a religion, but as an American who

gave everything for his fellow citizens”

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

BY JASON BANREY

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget leaves

senior centers in jeopardy with the threat

of a $25 million cut in state funding for

senior services. An Assembly action to

restore the funding has been made, but

Republicans in the Senate have not en-

dorsed the change and it is questionable if

the restoration of funds would survive the

final negotiations in the state budget.

Standing outside of her Long Island

City senior center, Olivine Adams, 67,

Seniors Vow To Continue Fightraised her tightly clenched fists in protest.

Joined by local politicians and seniors in

solidarity on March 11, Adams and others

voiced their opinions in opposition to the

cuts at Riis Settlement Senior Center and

Ravenswood Senior Center.

The elderly assured lawmakers they

were not willing to give up.

As a member of the senior center for

more than 12 years, Adams has become

accustomed to getting two nutritious meals

a day and socializing with friends at the

Ravenswood Senior Center.

If passed as proposed, the budget’s $25.2

million cut to the Title XX funding could

result in the closure of 22 senior centers in

the borough, leaving Adams, as well as a

large population of elderly, without access

to the affordable meals and essential social

services they have utilized for years. Adams

fears she will no longer be able to grow old

the way she always wanted - peacefully.

Borough Assembly members promised

to make seniors a top priority in conjunc-

tion with support of other members

throughout the state. Assemblywomen

Marge Markey (D-Maspeth) and Grace

Meng (D-Flushing) reported that the New

York State Assembly would allocate $25

million to guarantee funding for senior

centers in the upcoming State budget.

“We’ll go all the way to Albany if we

have to. The [governor’s] not going to

knock us out the box,” said Adams. “We’re

still among the living. They can’t bury us

yet!”

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 128.

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BY JASON BANREY

Drawing a litany of responses, from all angles of

opposition and support, the plan to rename the

Queensboro Bridge to honor former Mayor Ed Koch has

become a political hot potato as a March 23 vote on the

matter draws near.

The issue has riled up borough residents, excited city

leaders and outright upset one Queens Councilman. The

Queens delegation is not united in support of the measure.

After polling all 15 members who represent the bor-

ough within the Council, the Queens Tribune has discov-

ered that not even half of the delegation actively supports

renaming the bridge.

In all, six Council members say they will vote in favor

of renaming the bridge, six are undecided on the matter

and just three hold firm stances against the plan.

With a line drawn in the sand, some Queens Council

members are now speaking out about the issue-some more

than others – while an unresolved bunch decides to

remain silent.

After writing an op-ed piece, published in the Tribune

Push To Save Bridge’s Queensboro Identitylast week, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) was

surprised to be joined by only two of his fellow Queens

members in his defiance of the Mayor.

Joining suit, Councilmen Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans)

and Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) strongly opposed the

Mayor’s proposal to co-name the century-old structure

the Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge, and feel Queens de-

serves the right to retain its claim on the name.

“Brooklyn and Manhattan have their own bridges,” said

Halloran. “So it’s only right that Queens deserves its own.”

Comrie, was surprised that the honor was even brought

up for discussion.

“This was dropped on our heads,” said Comrie. “Queens

residents should decide what happens with the

[Queensboro Bridge].”

Joining in support of both the Mayor and Council

Speaker Christine Quinn, and not afraid to have their

opinions heard, are Council members James Gennaro (D-

Fresh Meadows), Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens)

and Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills).

In recognition of not only Mayor Koch’s service to the

city, Gennaro added that he deserved the honor for his

heroic duties while serving in World War II and for the

term he served as the U.S. Representative from New

York’s 17th District.

“[Mayor Koch] remains relevant to this day at the

local, national and international level,” Gennaro said.

“Renaming the bridge is the least we can do to honor one

who has served so many for so long.”

Echoing a number of borough residents who do not

even utilize the “Queensboro” name, Gennaro added,

“Nobody calls the bridge that name anyway – its called

the 59th

Street Bridge.”

In accordance with yea-sayers, Koslowitz agrees with

the change, but prefers it her way.

“I preferred that it be called the Queensboro-Ed Koch

Bridge,” she said.

Council members Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Vil-

lage), Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Peter Koo (R-

Flushing) also sided with the new name.

Remaining undecided on the matter are Council mem-

bers Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), Julissa Ferreras

(D-East Elmhurst), James Sanders (D-Laurelton), Jimmy

Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica)

and Diana Reyna (D-Ridgewood).

With the issue split three ways within the Queens

delegation and a vote coming later on this month, there

is no telling what borough residents will soon call the

gateway to our borough.

Indifferent as to whether or not he is honored, Mayor

Koch leaves it completely up to the City Council to decide.

Despite thinking he is a perfect fit for the bridge

because “it’s not soaring, beautiful, or as handsome” as

other city bridges, he says he will take what he gets from

the City Council.

“Either way, whatever happens,” said Koch. “It’s still

a great honor.”

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.

Only three of Queens’ 15 City Council members vocally

oppose the renaming of the Queensborough Bridge in honor

of former Mayor Ed Koch.

March

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In Our Opinion:In Our Opinion:

OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

150-50 14th Road

Whitestone, NY 11357

(voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417

email news@queenspress.com

The PRESS of Southeast Queens

Associate Publisher

Arnold Thibou

Executive Editor:

Brian Rafferty

Deputy Editor:

Joseph Orovic

Contributing Editor:

Marcia Moxam Comrie

Production Manager:

Shiek Mohamed

Queens Today Editor

Regina Vogel

Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters:

Harley Benson

Sasha Austrie

Domenick Rafter

Jason Banrey

Art Dept:

Sara Gold

Rhonda Leefoon

Candice Lolier

Barbara Townsend

Advertising Director

James Mammarella

Sr. Account Executive

Shelly Cookson

Advertising Executives

Merlene Carnegie

A Queens Tribune Publication.

© Copyright 2011 Tribco, LLC

Michael Schenkler,

President & Publisher

Michael Nussbaum,

Vice President,

Associate Publisher

Editorial Letters

Come Back To Jamaica…New York

A Personal Perspective

By MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

Letters

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Seeing With Eyes Open

Tolerance is a tricky word, not as easy to define as it sounds. It

denotes a fair, objective and permissive attitude to what is different from

one individual to another.

This week two separate but equally relevant issues of tolerance have

come to the forefront: the beating death of a man who was thought to be

gay and the “Muslim radicalization” hearings held in Congress by Long

Island Congressman Peter King.

Both speak volumes about the society in which we live. The first

involved four teenagers who trashed a party, to which they were not

invited, began using anti-gay epithets and ended up chasing down and

beating to death a man who had left the party because of an apparent

fear for the thugs who showed up.

He wasn’t gay, but his attackers used the label as a reason to hate

him, to demean him and to take from him his life.

The second feeds on fear. The Sept. 11 hijackers – and many other

terrorists – were and are Muslim. Their actions are deplorable, and the

issue of “radicalization’ is something that any faith needs to address

with its members.

But to hold hearings with the purpose of analyzing the causes that

specifically turn followers of Islam to become terrorists creates a label

of hatred, foments a grain of doubt and plants a seed of fear of the

members of an entire faith.

Well, that’s not how it’s supposed to work – and certainly not in

Queens, the most diverse place on Earth. We must keep our eyes open,

but in doing so also see our brothers and sisters without labels, without

ignorance and without fear.

For The Veterans

To The Editor:

For many years St. Albans

Veteran’s Hospital has not been

functioning. Now that St. John’s,

St. Joseph, and Mary Immaculate

have closed, our returning veter-

ans will be more desperately de-

prived of the health care they

were promised and deserve.

Unfortunately Eric Shinseki,

Secretary of the Department of

Veteran Affairs, continues to sup-

port an Enhanced Use Lease

(EUL). His rationale for continu-

ing to press for a 75-year lease of

25 acres of tax-free land to a

private developer is based on a

Census taken in 2000. This Cen-

sus reported that the number of

returning veterans will decrease.

Mr. Shinseki has neglected to

take into consideration the num-

ber of men and women that were

sent to Iraq in 2001, and the

surges of additional troops both

in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Shinseki continues to sup-

port Rev. Floyd Flake’s corpora-

tion. The Allen Corp Name is

changed to “D&F. This has been

done because Rev. Flake’s finan-

cial ventures began to be questioned

and were publicly exposed. The

others names, Rev. Reed, D’Amico,

and Florey remain the same.

The guidelines established by

the RFP, page 11, Sec. 2.4.8.bullet

3, mandate that a developer must

maintain positive relations with the

State and local areas and avoid any

destruction of the surrounding mi-

nority community. The private de-

veloper has failed to carry out these

guidelines. He is planning high rise

apartments, multiple homes and

stores, all of which are in conflict

with local zoning regulations.

We need to: save the lives of

our brave veterans; stop the rising

number of suicides due to the lack

of appropriate health care; end

the EUL now; and rehabilitate

the existing hospital to a full ser-

vice hospital.

The private developer is creat-

ing far more luxury living than the

VA is planning to offer our veterans.

Doris Salzberg,

Queens

WBID Defense

To The Editor:

I read with interest the letter

written in reference to our

Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue,

and as President of the

Woodhaven Business Improve-

ment District responsible for

Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue it

is incumbent upon me to respond.

This letter refers to the ap-

pearance of Jamaica Avenue af-

ter the two major snowstorms.

To judge any area after this un-

usual weather places us at a disad-

vantage. The bird droppings re-

ferred to on the sidewalk and

near our J line elevated stanchions

are power washed periodically.

The snowstorms made them in-

accessible and the power wash-

ing chemicals freeze in the cold

weather, so they could not be

cleaned. This accumulation will

be power washed this month.

As to the litter baskets “over-

flowing with garbage,” after the

snowstorms the garbage from the

wire baskets was not picked up.

During the snowstorm our WBID

cleaners cleared paths and the

corners of snow for our Avenue

pedestrians. After the garbage was

picked up, the garbage in the wire

baskets, household garbage as

well, as always were bagged, and

the baskets lined. This is done

twice a day, seven days a week.

The “trash tossed in the street”

issue on Woodhaven’s Jamaica

Avenue is addressed by the

sweepers cleaning twice a day,

seven days a week.

As to the “empty storefronts” as

a recent survey has proved, we have

a very low vacancy rate with some

“closed stores” not being rented

and used for only storage. We have

been notified by the City that our J

Line Jamaica Avenue elevated train

structure and stanchions will finally

be painted and repaired.

For those who want every-

thing, we cannot and will not

ever satisfy you.

Mathew Xenakis,

President, WBID

I recently took a long walk

through Downtown Jamaica and

was amazed by all the changes

that had taken place on the side

streets. Everyone knows Jamaica

Avenue is back to being a vibrant

commercial strip with upscale

stores such as Old Navy, Gap,

Marshall’s, Zales and Game Stop;

plus a magnificent movie theatre

and an Applebee’s Restaurant.

York College to the south of

Jamaica Avenue is also flourish-

ing with its niche academic pro-

grams taught by stellar faculty

educating outstanding students,

not to mention their Performing

Arts Center and theatre produc-

tions.

But the side streets north of

Jamaica Avenue are also under-

going a Renaissance. Although I

am in Jamaica practically every

day, I’m usually driving or in a

hurry, so I never take the time to

really explore.

That recently changed as I

went north from Jamaica Avenue,

cutting through the Jamaica Farm-

ers Market and through side

streets all the way to the Post

Office on 164th Street.

To my utter delight I found

access through parking garages,

which I did not even know had

been built. The modern front-to-

back openings help not just get-

ting cars in and out efficiently,

but also allow for easy pedestrian

passage from side street to side

street. It has turned into a village

reminiscent of those found in

more suburban settings.

I could practically hear the old

TV commercial tune for that other

Jamaica’s tourism industry:

“Come back to Jamaica, what’s

old is what’s new.” Indeed, the

same applies to “The Ave.”

What’s old is what’s new in

this Jamaica. Not since we lost

the major department stores in

the 1980s have we seen such a

boom in the downtown economy.

But more than shortcuts and up-

scale boutiques, this is also a bud-

ding center of art, history, enter-

tainment and the judiciary.

Jamaica Center for Arts and

Learning continues to elevate its

offerings. The new, state-of-the-

art Jamaica Performing Arts Cen-

ter, based in the restored Dutch

Reform Church just behind the

Social Security building, is serv-

ing an important function as well

and King Manor Museum is evolv-

ing to serve a growing immigrant

population.

Anchored by York College,

the FDA (on York’s campus),

the Social Security building, and

an up-to-the-minute movie the-

ater, the area has attracted hous-

ing developers who have con-

verted the old family court build-

ing into a magnificent residential

building across from the still-serv-

ing YMCA.

And speaking of courts, just

down the street from the Jamaica

Performing Arts Center and

across from King Park stands

“court house central,” which all

goes to show Jamaica is the place

to be in Queens these days.

A lot of the credit goes to the

Greater Jamaica Development

Corp. (GJDC), Community

Board 12 and our public servants

for their support. We all know

that the first order of a successful

commercial district is parking. No

matter what people are selling, if

there is no access to “park and get

it, it won’t sell.”

As with any commercial dis-

trict, street parking is still a chal-

lenge in Jamaica; but GJDC un-

dertook that challenge and now

there are ample paid parking

spots available. I remember inter-

viewing GJDC President Carlisle

Towery about a decade ago ask-

ing why people where shunning

Jamaica Avenue in favor of Green

Acres and he assured me his group

were working on stemming that

tide.

I don’t know what the statis-

tics are now, but it is evident that

the shopping quality and quan-

tity of shopping in Downtown

Jamaica have increased dramati-

cally. We can be proud to call it

“our shopping center” once

more.

THE YORK COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER94-45 Guy Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11451

Major funding for this series provided by NYC Councilmembersthe late Thomas White Jr. (28th-CD), and Leroy Comrie(27th-CD), Deputy Majority Leader NY City Council and Chair of Land Use Committee.

Box Office: 718-262-2840PAC Information: 718-262-3750

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Why A NY Uprising Hero Should Not Be A Bridge

Henry Stern

By HENRY J. STERNThe forces of good

scored a major victory inthe indictment of StateSenator Carl Kruger, As-semblyman Wil l iamBoyland and six accom-plices in a bribery ringthat goes back five years.

Until now, corruptlegis lators had beenpicked off by the au-thorities one at a time, and theirvenality, although felonious, wasrelatively limited in its scope. Thistime a big fish has been nabbed,along with his bottom-feeder as-sociates.

The investigation was helpedover the years by co-operating pub-lic officials seeking lighter sen-tences. Brian McLaughlin was thefirst to go; he gave up the lateAnthony Seminerio, who wastaped in expletive-laced conversa-tions with Kruger’s confederates.

We wonder how many morelegislators, particularly from Brook-lyn and Queens, are shivering atthe prospect of future undesiredcontact with law enforcementagencies. The Aqueduct casino con-spiracy of 2010, although well pub-licized, has not yet led to indict-ments. Since the plot was foiled,there may be insufficient groundsto send the plotters upstate. If theyshould be incarcerated, however,they will be counted as residentsof their home districts downstate,

thanks to their Demo-cratic colleagues in thelegislature who wantedto minimize Republicandistricts upstate.

The daily press gavesubstantial and well-mer-ited attention to the ar-rests.

The 53-page crimi-nal complaint, obtainedby Preet Bharara, United

States Attorney for the SouthernDistrict of New York, a posit ionformerly held by Rober tMorgenthau and Rudy Giuliani,contain intercepted telephone con-versations between the al legedconspirators, including anAssemblymember who died inprison.

For nine years, we have railedagainst public corruption, startingwith former Councilman AngelRodriguez in our first column (3/21/02). Whenever one wrongdoeris found out, however, it seems thatanother rises to take his or herplace. The system is remarkablyenduring.

We believe that most publicofficials are honest and decent.Unfor tunately, many are held inlow regard because of the derelic-tions of their colleagues. It is alsotrue that very few officials are con-cerned with the misconduct of theirfellow legislators; they are muchmore comfortable ignoring fraud orcorruption by their next door neigh-

bors and running mates. Thesedon’t commit crimes themselves,but they are quite tolerant of thosewho do. There is no honor codein Albany.

Most New Yorkers are rela-tively satisfied with the peoplewho represent them. This is in partbecause over the years they havereceived publicly-funded mailings orrelied on constituent services. Theymay have met their local represen-tative in the park, on the street,or in a church or synagogue. Vot-ers may identify by gender, orien-tation or ethnicity with the namethey see on election posters.

In addition, challengers topoliticians are usually even less wellknown than the incumbents. Thatis why the re-election rate is sohigh, and why legislators havemore to fear from prosecutors thanfrom electoral rivals.

Nonetheless, the indictmentsare good news. We are aware thatan indictment is merely an accusa-tion, and a jury must be convincedof the defendants’ guilt. Kruger hashired a fine lawyer in BenjaminBrafman, who while representinghim will no doubt divest his clientof a good portion of his allegedlyill-gotten gains.

We suggest you read as muchas you care to of the U.S.Attorney’s complaint, and particu-larly the transcripts of the defen-dants’ telephone conversations. Areasonable person would be hard

pressed to develop a scenario un-der which the alleged conspiratorswould not be at fault.

It will probably take over ayear before this matter is disposedof. We have on occasion quotedan old Greek saying, which wasrendered in English in 1640 byGeorge Herbert: “The mills of thegods grind slow, but they grindexceeding fine.”

Let justice be done.StarQuest@NYCivic.org

Out of the Closet And Into the Cooler

By MICHAEL SCHENKLERI like Ed Koch.Ed Koch is my hero – now,

even more than before.

As the Mayor of New YorkCity for 12 years, (1978-1989) hemade us feel good – it was his ownpersonal brand of the “Fun City”theme initiated by John Lindsaytwo terms earlier. Only for Ed, itwas “How’m I Doin’?”

Somewhere in the house, Ihave an autographed copy of his1984 bestseller, “Mayor.” In the of-fice, still unpacked from our Novem-ber move, is a picture of me and Edtaken at Gracie Mansion way backin his early days as Mayor – it’s blackand white. If I can locate it, I’ll shareit with you if space allows. Ed evenbecame a movie reviewer for mypapers when I was President ofNews Communications in the

1990’s. He’s continued reviewingmovies to this day – sharing histhoughts on movies in theHuffington Post, and on politics andthe world to an email list.

But Ed Koch is my guy. Heand Mike Bloomberg tower overthe other Mayors I’ve encountered– and I’ve met them all since JohnLindsay, who was first elected in1966.

But Ed didn’t become my realhero until he was out of office formore than two decades and wellinto his 80’s. Last year, at age 85,

Ed decided to lead New York’s re-form movement, aimed at tryingto fix what is broken in Albany. Ashead of NY Upr ising, he haspreached, bullied, led and imploredcandidates and elected officials tosign onto the reform pledge withthe centerpiece being independentredistricting. This month, Ed wasin Albany greeting the elected “he-roes of reform” and still urging the“enemies of reform” to sign on.

He’s one of my heroes.He’s one in a million.I like Ed Koch.

A HERO BUT NOT ABRIDGE

I oppose renaming theQueensboro Bridge for EdKoch. The iconic structure isours – the people of Queenstake pride in it. It is the onlyiconic structure named for ourborough. It is part of the heartand soul of Queens.

My hero Ed is from Man-hattan – he’s all Manhattan.But I wouldn’t support nam-ing it for anyone. We needsomething mighty and soar-ing and iconic of our own.Queens needs theQueensboro Bridge – we’vehad it for more than a cen-tury.

“They wouldn’t do it to theBrooklyn Bridge,” was CouncilmanPeter Vallone Jr’s first phone callto me. I was sold before hearingfrom Peter but was excited that per-haps the Council wouldn’t go alongwith the Mayor’s proposal. Vallonehas bravely taken on the Mayorwho has proposed the namechange and his seemingly acquies-cent colleagues at the City Coun-cil ready to allow Queens to bediminished. Councilmembers LeroyComrie and Dan Halloran havejoined in opposition. The rest ofthe Queens delegation is woefully

silent or pathetically supportive ofthis shameful act.

The Speaker of the Councilwould not be moving this bill if theQueens delegation opposed it. Theentire Council would not be back-ing this measure if the Queens del-egation spoke up in opposition. Itis the silence of inaction that willtake our Bridge and hand it overto the Manhat tan-centric City toname for a Manhattan hero.

There are a lot of things whichcould be named for Ed Koch – al-though I’m one of those who be-lieve the government should notbe naming things for the living.

In the Schenkler book, re-quirement No. 1 is that you hadto have lived an honest and goodlife; requirement No. 2 is thatyou’ve had to have done some-thing exceptional relating to thatwhich is named for you; and re-quirement No. 3 is that you haveto be dead.

Ed Koch deserves somethingspecial, but I hope it’s not for manymore years that I advocate for “EdKoch Central Park.”

Ed Koch is my hero.Please leave the Queensboro

Bridge alone.MSchenkler@QueensPress.com

Ed Koch and Mike Schenkler at Gracie Mansion in the 1980s.

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Police BlotterCompiled By DOMENICK RAFTER

By DOMENICK RAFTER

A teenager was brutally beaten outside

a birthday party in Woodhaven last week

by a group of teens in what the NYPD is

calling an anti-gay hate crime against a

straight victim.

“It appears to have all the elements of

a hate crime,” said NYPD Commissioner

Ray Kelly. “The hate crime task force is

involved.”

Around 1 a.m. on March 12, police re-

sponded to a call of a man beaten near

the intersection of 90th Street and 89th

Avenue in Woodhaven. Police discovered

Anthony Collao, 18, had been beaten by

a group of teens that were thrown out of

a house party on 90th Street earlier in

the night. The victim was taken to Ja-

maica Hospital where he was put on life

support and succumbed to his injuries on

Monday.

The alleged assailants, Alex Velez, 16,

of the Bronx, and Nolis Oganda, Chris-

topher Lozada and Luis Tabales, all 17,

from Queens, were arrested and arraigned

Monday on manslaughter charges. Po-

lice say Lozada, who was wearing a base-

Police Arrest 4 In

House Party Murder

103rd Precinct

Shot Dead

On Sunday, March 13, at approximately

8:31 p.m., police responded to a 911 call

reporting a woman shot at

the front of 93-20 214th

St. in Queens Village.

Upon arrival, police found

Rabia Mohammed, 23 of

Jamaica, shot twice in the

torso.

EMS also responded

to the location and trans-

ported the victim to Ja-

maica Hospital where

she was pronounced

dead on arrival. There

were no arrests at this

time and the investiga-

tion was ongoing. Iden-

tification of the victim

was pending proper fam-

ily notification.

Broken Neck

On March 14, at approximately 8

p.m., police responded to a 911 call of

an unconscious man inside of 90-10

187th St. in Hollis. Upon arrival police

discovered a 31-year-old black man dead

inside of a basement apartment with

trauma to the neck. The Medical Exam-

iner will determine the cause of death.

105th Precinct

Attempted Rape

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assis-

tance in identifying a man wanted in con-

nection with an attempted

rape in Springfield Gar-

dens. On March 12, at

around 5:30 p.m., a man

followed the victim into a

building in the vicinity of

141st Avenue and Spring-

field Boulevard in Spring-

field Gardens and grabbed

her buttocks. When the

victim resisted the suspect

threw her to the ground

pulled her pants to her

knees and attempted to

rape her. The suspect fled

the scene when a resident

opened a nearby apart-

ment door.

The suspect is described as a black man,

dark complexion, between 18-23 years old,

5-foot-5, wearing a black jacket and blue

jeans. He also had a dark colored North

Face backpack around his back.

Anyone with information in regards

to this incident is asked to call Crime

Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).

The public 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.

ball cap when arrested, was covered in

blood.

According to the NYPD, the four ar-

rived uninvited at a birthday party at an

abandoned house on 90th Street and re-

fused to pay the cover charge to get in.

They pushed their way into the house,

where they shattered windows and picked

arguments with partygoers before corner-

ing Collao outside. Witnesses say the four

beat him with a metal pipe while shouting

anti-gay slurs at Collao, who was not gay

and had a girlfriend. Other partygoers told

police anti-gay slurs were used against

guests inside the party as well. The party

was hosted by two gay men.

The attacks brought swift condemna-

tion from leaders.

“Our streets will not be safe until the

individuals who are responsible for this

heinous crime are brought to justice,” said

Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park),

who represents Woodhaven. “Senseless

acts of violence such as this will simply

not be tolerated.”

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

Police are looking for this man

wanted for an attempted rape.

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Gun Victims

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Women Men 16-21 year old Males

By SASHA AUSTRIE

Last year was particularly bloody for black men. The NYPD’s Murder in New York City report revealed that black people, who account for 25 percent of the City’s population, make up 67 percent of the City’s 536 murder victims.

“We need to do something to remind people that they need to have a better level of respect for each other,” said Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans).

Of the 67 percent of blacks murdered, more than 350 in 2010, 33 percent were between the ages of 15 to 29. While the average for murdered blacks increased by 31 percent, it decreased for whites by 27 percent and according to the report, Asians and Hispanic murder rates remained unchanged. The increase in black murders resulted in a citywide increase from 471 to 536.

Why Has This Happened?“There are many reasons for the jump,”

said Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton).

He squarely places blame on the down-fall of the economy, failure of the family structure, the ease of getting weapons and the “macho mindset of shoot first and the rise of gang violence.”

Sanders dubbed these as symptoms of a systematic failure.

“This is a failure at every level,” Sand-ers said. “It’s a failing of parenting, of our schools, of our leaders in government, and of our society as a whole.”

The numbers are even more daunting where the weapon and murder suspect are concerned. The report states that 61 percent of the City’s murdered victims were shot. When counting only black men, 90 percent of victims were killed by gunfire. At about 85 percent of the time, the arrested suspect and victim were both black.

“We first have to identify that these crimes are happening by us against us,” said Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica).

Reacting To NumbersState Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis)

said there are three challenges to the issue of guns and murder on City streets – acces-sibility, need for employment and mental health.

Though Queens ranked third in mur-ders citywide, with 19 percent, Southeast Queens is the hotbed for homicides within the borough. In 2010, from Jan. 1 to Oct. 14, there were at least 40 murders.

At the tail end of the summer, six mur-ders in September caused Southeast Queens politicians to turn up the volume. They hosted town halls and press conferences. Officials asked the NYPD to bolster its presence in trouble spots and rotate critical resources; there were calls for education to change the mindset of children in the community; residents and politicians volunteered to walk the neighborhood on Friday night.

The effort has since subsided. Comrie admitted that the walks have

become infrequent. He said for about four weeks the program worked, but it has since been confined to the area around Sutphin Boulevard.

“It never expanded,” he said.

Becoming ProactiveThe Rev. Charles Norris Sr., a noted

pastor and activist in Southeast Queens, lambasted politicians for not doing more to curb the violence.

“I’m really disappointed in what our elect-ed officials are doing about the problem,” he said. “To me, they are doing nothing.”

State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) disagreed.

“We’ve been working hard in that com-munity,” Huntley said. “Let’s be real; there is not much legislation you can pass that can keep people from killing each other.”

To combat the ills, all the officials are touting varying solutions.

Huntley said she is actively trying to reopen the Baisley Houses Youth Center and is funding renovations for the South Jamaica Houses center, which would give teens a place to call their own.

“I’m doing what I can on my end and everybody should do what they can on

Gun Murders Of Blacks In QueensOn Rise Despite Drop In Crime

their end,” she said. Sanders and Norris both advocate for a

gun buyback program, which would “stop the flood of illegal guns,” the councilman said.

Sanders also advocates teaching teenag-ers conflict resolution via youth courts, which is “one of the better ways of dealing with this issue.” He added that diversion programs can also be used to catch youth before they fall into a life of crime.

Smith said Operation S.N.U.G., a statewide program, deals with the three challenges. The program is modeled after Cease Fire Chicago. Quoting U.S. Justice Department stats, Smith credits the pro-gram with decreasing illegal gun violence by 16 to 35 percent. S.N.U.G. dispatches “violence interrupters” in the aftermath of a shooting to try to bring the victim and perpetrators together. The program also looks into gainful unemployment and uses former criminals to deter violence.

Another component Smith is working on is the P3 Gun Buyback Program. He said the program would include a public and private partnership to fund the buyback, though the groups, which include the NYPD, district attorneys, private sector industries, clergy and Operation S.N.U.G. have yet to meet

to finalize their mode of attack,“P3 is about to come to New York City,”

Smith said.It’s Up To The People

Wills, who is mere months into his first year in office, said he is building community partnerships.

“We have to get non-profits, community based partnerships, clergy and a relation-ship with the NYPD that is not just spoken about,” Wills said. He also advocated for ex-convicts to be part of the solution.

“We need to understand how self-hate can make you pull a trigger on another man of color,” Wills said. “The only people who can speak to that are the people who have committed those crimes.”

Since taking office in November, Wills said he has partnered with two community based organizations that have created Satur-day academies at PS 123 and PS 155.

Comrie suggested residents outfit their homes with security cameras and request the NYPD support the community.

“Hopefully we can catch more of these people,” he said.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at saust-rie@queenspress.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.

A Crisis Of Color:

Murder Victimes By Race

3%

24%

6%

Asian

Black

Hispanic

67%

Hispanic

White

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Murder By The Numbers

0%

10%

20%

30%

Gang Members Female On Probation Prior Arrests 16-37 Years Old

Victims Suspects

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Borough Beat

BY JOSEPH OROVIC

The borough's community boards have

some long-time members, but few can

match Rose Bruno. The CB 11 member

served her last meeting on Monday, March

7, rounding off a career of civic participa-

tion that predates the community board

system by more than a decade.

To honor her service, Deputy Borough

President Barry Grodenchik brought a

proclamation from Borough President

Helen Marshall, thanking Bruno for her

service and dubbing March 7 "Rose Bruno

Day."

Days later, sitting in her kitchen, the

vivacious 97-year-old was still at a loss for

words. The thought of "Rose Bruno Day"

had not sunk in. It was explained to her

that "If there was a Queens calendar,

March 7 would be your day." Her eye-

brows rose slightly.

"I had no idea," she said.

Bruno's tenure on the board has seen

five Borough Presidents get elected, nu-

merous civic associations come and go,

countless board meetings and the trans-

formation of Auburndale, her home, from

a pastoral remnant into a suburban es-

cape.

Ever the family woman, she measures

things differently: eight grandkids and

five great grandchildren to be exact.

"It was a privilege to serve for so long

with so many good people," she said.

Her absence will be felt by the board

she served, said CB 11 Chair Jerry

Iannece.

"I wish I had a dozen more members

like her," he said. "She was responsible,

diligent, and always there. […] Replace

her? I don't think you ever can."

Bruno saw many a political career take

off during her tenure as well. More re-

cently, she was around for State Sen.

Tony Avella's (D-Bayside) early forays

into civic activism, and worked alongside

former Borough President Claire Shulman,

who was also an inaugural member of the

same board.

"She's a wonderful, wonderful woman,"

said Shulman, who served as the original

planning board's recording secretary while

Bruno acted as corresponding secretary.

"She also hardly ever missed a meeting;

low key but very smart. She is really all the

best that civic workers are."

Bruno's lengthy civic resume includes

the Good Citizenship League, the Com-

munity Advisory Board of Flushing Hos-

pital, League of Women Voters and, most

of all, the Flushing Council of Women's

Organizations. She served as the group's

President through its most active stretch,

which included a movement to save Flush-

ing Town Hall.

Her reputation as a rest-

less member of the commu-

nity led then-Borough Presi-

dent Mario Cariello to re-

quest her participation in a

newly-formed planning

board in 1967.

"I said, 'What's a plan-

ning board?'" Bruno recalled.

The first years proved a

pivotal era, as the Boards

carved their own niche into

civic and governmental life.

"We started to design

what we were supposed to

do at the very beginning,"

Shulman said of the time. "It

was just service delivery pri-

marily. Then it kind of grew. It was a lot

more than a civic association."

Bruno learned to keep her political

ideals and partisanship under wraps. Open

allegiances, she believes, hinder the nego-

tiation process.

"Because I was never political, I felt I

could be better," she said. Shulman still

has no idea what political party Bruno

favors.

Bruno first moved to the borough with

her husband Mario in 1944, buying a

house in then-middle -of -nowhere

Auburndale.

She kept records of her civic work,

CB Elder Steps Away From Her Post

CB 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece (l.) and Councilman Dan

Halloran (r.) observe as Deputy Borough President Barry

Grodenchik presents Rose Bruno with the latest of a lifetime

of honors.

from fliers to letters and news clippings.

The paper bits of history are scattered

about her home.

"My husband always said I should worry

about a fire inspection, because all the

papers I kept would create a fire hazard,"

she said.

The walls of her basement are lined

with citations for various achievements

and her lengthy service. Asked if she's a

historian of sorts, she responded, "I'm a

keeper."

Reach Reporter Joseph Orovic at

jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 127.

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Southeast Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson

pix

Discussing Quality Of Life

On March 9th the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation met in the Har-vest Room for its bi-monthly meeting of its Downtown Committee, which isdedicated to the quality of life in the greater Jamaica area.

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Speakers Renée Hicks and Annette Scalise discuss the program agendawith Chairman William Martin.

Featured speaker Renée Hicks, Vice-President for Program Operations atSafe Space, a community-based an-chor whose various neighborhoodcontributions include strengtheningfamilies, providing mental health ser-vices, and supporting academic suc-cess through school partnerships.

Featured speaker Susan Jacobs, Ex-ecutive Director of the Center forFamily Representation, whose mis-sion is to provide families in crisiswith free legal assistance and socialwork services to enable children tostay with their parents safely and tokeep these children out of foster carewhenever possible.

Featured speaker Annette Scalise, asocial worker from the Tender CareHuman Services, an organization thatprovides educational, behavioral,residential, recreational and respiteservices to individuals with autismand developmental disorders.

Deputy Inspector Charles McEvoy,Commanding Officer of the 103rd Pre-cinct, reported to the meeting thepositive state of crime-fighting in thelocal area.

For more details, come in, call toll-free at 1-877-417-6547 or visit www.ridgewoodbank.com

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March

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BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Though it is a little under an hour be-

fore opening at Creative Wraps Restau-

rant and Bakery on Monday, there were

already two batches of freshly baked cook-

ies in the showcase. Seeing two people

seated at tables, a customer pulls at the

door.

Maurice Letman, the owner, waves him

off. He is sure that the gentleman will be

back come lunchtime. Since August, Cre-

ative Wraps has been creating a buzz.

“So far, the response we’ve been get-

ting is good,” he said.

Letman modeled Creative Wraps af-

ter both Chipotle Mexican Grill and

Panera Bread. The idea for the restaurant

was a simple understanding that neither

Chipotle nor Panera would move into his

Laurelton neighborhood.

“I [took] a little bit of both and made

my own thing,” he said.

Letman said he and his

fiancée, Nerita – a chef, fine

tuned his vision. When he ac-

quired the location at 133-24

Springfield Blvd. it was a shell

with great potential.

“I built everything from

scratch,” he said. “It was just a

raw store.”

Letman said

there were no blue-

prints involved. He

sketched his vision

on a piece of paper.

His mind’s eye and

reality became one,

creating Creative

Wraps.

With muted col-

ors and pleasant

music as back-

Creative Chow Wraps Biz Successground noise, the space is cozy. It exudes

subtle elegance. Letman said he invested

about $150,000 and renovations took ap-

proximately two months.

Before opening up shop, Letman never

conducted any surveys or marketing to

understand the community’s need. He fig-

ured he did not have to; he knew his cli-

entele. Letman knew that Springfield

Boulevard is rife with professionals who

understand his product.

“They are used to Starbucks; they are

used to Panera Bread and Chipotle,” he

said. “I opened this and I knew it was

going to be successful.”

Though the menu is largely wraps,

there is an undertone of a Mexican flare.

At Creative Wraps, there is something for

everyone, including food for vegetarians

and meat lovers. If you are hoping for a

taste of seafood, Creative Wraps also has

something for you.

With the establishment approaching

its first year, Letman is looking to ex-

pand Creative Wraps Restaurant and

Bakery’s footprint. He is currently

awaiting permits for a sidewalk café and

hopes to expand and franchise within

a year.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

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

7400, Ext. 123.

Profile

Welcome Walgreens:

City Leroy Comrie joined

St. Albans community,

clergy and civic leaders in

celebrating the opening of

the Walgreens Pharmacy

with a ribbon-cutting cer-

emony on Tuesday, March

8. The newly-established

business is located at 112-

55 Farmers Blvd., St.

Albans.

Creative Wraps has de-

veloped a following among

Springfield Boulevard’s

regulars.

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The Wizard of Beechhurst Lives OnBY BARBARA ARNSTEIN

SMASH! The world-famous magician

slammed down his hammer and the

president’s pocket watch shattered into

a million tiny pieces. He’d just

borrowed it from Coolidge, for

a part of his performance at the

White House, and now cogs,

gears and glass littered the table

like confetti.

Did the horrified look on the

face of a watching Secret Service

agent mean his career was about

to be ended? The magician

quickly wrapped all the bits and

pieces in a piece of paper, made

it disappear, and asked the First

Lady to slice a nearby loaf of

bread. Inside it was her husband’s

watch, completely intact.

The magician was Howard

Thurston, one of the subjects of Jim

Steinmeyer’s fantastic new book, “The

Last Greatest Magician in the World:

Howard Thurston versus Houdini & the

Battles of the American Wizards,” in

which the above incident is described,

and the following story is told.

Thurston first became famous as a

vaudeville star, later expanding

his show into a very elaborate

touring production. For almost

30 years, in the early 20th cen-

tury, Thurston performed illu-

sions involving mysterious spir-

its, women f loating and revolv-

ing in mid-air, a vanishing

horse, a magically materialized

lion, bunnies becoming boxes

of chocolates and much more.

Ironically, considering his

expertise at creating illusions

that made people believe in

magic, Thurston himself, at the

age of 37, believed that he

could find the real thing. On a visit to

India in 1906, he gave money to an old

man who told him through an interpreter

that he would teach him the secret of self-

levitation, as soon as he returned from a

five-day stay in the mountains. “If this

man can really accomplish this, then I

have to learn it,” he told his troupe, while

he waited. “I’ll stay here and learn his

secret, even if it takes years.”

The man never returned.

Thurston’s brand of magic played vari-

ous roles in his real life offstage: That

watch trick he performed at the White

House? Years earlier, he’d used the se-

cret switching technique behind it to cheat

people by substituting gold watches for

gold-plated ones. In Australia, he used his

knowledge of misdirection to help his as-

sistant George White evade racists.

In 1915, Thurston had a three-story

home constructed in Beechhurst, in what

was then known as Whitestone Landing,

which he owned for the next 20 years. There

he kept the horse (and the lion) from his

stage show, plus two monkeys. Nearby, at

Knab’s Pavilion (neither the house nor the

pavilion still exist), he created intricate

By BARBARA ARNSTEIN

Do you always see what you think

you’re seeing? Do you always hear what

you think you’re hearing? What do you

think?

“Twelve Angry Men,” presented in

Whitestone by Theatre Time Productions,

begins after a trial ends, when the jurors

must decide whether the 16-year-old boy

on trial for murder should live or die.

Almost all agree on his guilt – except

Juror No. 8, expertly portrayed by

Armand Catenaro, the narrator in The-

atre Time’s 2008 production of “Our

Town”. For those familiar with the movie

adaptation, the role was dominated by

Henry Fonda.

One by one, he challenges the others,

transforming resentment to reason and

stubbornness to sanity, while demonstrat-

ing what more there is to see than the

jurors were shown, and to understand

beyond what they were told.

Thomas J. Kane, who appeared in

“Our Town” and other plays, is riveting in

the role of Juror No. 3, a man so choked

with resentment that he contemplates

misdirected revenge. Michael Wolf, an-

other Theatre Time regular, is excellent

as Juror No. 10, the explosively emotional

embodiment of bigotry, while Al Carbuto,

also a veteran of Theatre Time produc-

tions, delivers an inspiring performance

as Juror No. 11, the man who most ap-

preciates the value of democracy.

Danny Leonard Gutman realistically

depicts the sensitivity and anger experi-

enced by Juror No. 5, the youngest, while

Howard M. Speiller delivers a nicely

subtle performance as humane Juror No.

9. Frank Freeman, whose roles have

Classic Tale Of Justice

Brought To Whitestone

equipment for his magical effects.

The many well-guarded secrets be-

hind Thurston’s stage illusions involved

everything from fine wires to black

threads. But one incredible secret was

revealed to Jane only after his death: she

was his stepdaughter.

Jim Steinmeyer has written many well-

received books and articles on magic and

other topics, including “Hiding the El-

ephant” and “Charles Fort, the Man Who

Invented the Supernatural.” The man

called “the best living originator of stage

illusions” created many exciting effects

for clients ranging from the circus to

EPCOT. He designed the f inale of

Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast,” in

which the beast is levitated into the air

and transformed back into the prince, and

created the special effects for a recent

production of “The Invisible Man,” in

which the main character appears to ma-

terialize on stage layer by layer.

His book was published by Jeremy P.

Tarcher, Penguin, a member of Penguin

Group, Inc.

ranged from comedic to menacing, here

plays Juror No. 4, a conservative yet open-

minded man. The experienced Keith

Junas, a member of the cast of Theatre

Time’s original production of this play,

provides comic relief as Juror No. 12, an

advertising executive who takes his jury

responsibility lightly.

Rounding out the wonderful ensemble

cast are Adam Bjelland, making his debut

with Theatre Time as the Foreman; movie

and stage actor Anthony Bisciello as Ju-

ror No. 6; and Eric Leeb, who has ap-

peared in many local productions, as Ju-

ror No. 2. The role of Juror No. 7, well

played last weekend by Peter Vrankovic,

is played this weekend by Jim Thomas.

Performances of “Twelve Angry Men”

are on Friday, March 18, and Saturday,

March 19, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March

20, at 3 p.m. Kudos to Kevin C. Vincent,

the Director, Artistic Director and Pro-

ducer, and his wife Judy Vincent, also a

Producer .

Call (347) 732-9015 for tickets. For

more information, go to theatretime.org.

The cast of Theatre Time’s “Twelve Angry

Men.”

LA BELLA CUCINA

69-61 Juniper Blvd. South, Middle Village

(718) 894-8191

CUISINE: Italian

HOURS: Mon–Thu 11 am to 10 pm; Fri-

Sat 11 am to 1 pm; Sun 11 am to 10:30 pm

CREDIT CARDS: All

Parking: Valet / Street

On the slightly darkened streets of

Juniper Boulevard South, La Bella

Cucina stands out among the row of

houses. On approach, the bright lights

are a simple welcome to old-fashioned

Italy, with a new world twist.

Simply put, Middle Village has a

gem. The dimly lit dining room and soft

music, which never competed with con-

versation, speaks of romance.

The tables where accented with pris-

tine white and burgundy tablecloths and

the unoccupied ones were adorned with

a vase of faux f lowers. When seated you

are given two menus – one for drinks,

which is rife with cocktails, and wine;

the other has all the Italian staples.

There is something for everyone.

I started out with a smooth and full-

bodied pinot noir 2009 and my date,

ever the ruffian, went with the Blue

Moon with a delicate slice of orange.

As someone who is totally in love with

carbohydrates, the fresh oven-baked pizza

bread woke up my dormant taste buds. It

was followed by warm crescent rolls

stuffed with pepperoni and onions.

As a lover of anything creamy,

cheesy or doughy, I omitted lunch to be

ready for the food onslaught. I was still

ill-prepared for the deluge.

After my companion and I had al-

most filled up on rolls, Lucy, one of our

servers suggested the pear salad. I was

a bit skeptical, but I’m on a mission to

indulge my palate in food adventures,

so I gave it a whirl. The dish is com-

prised of marinated pears in red wine

and honey, caramelized walnuts,

vinaigrette and gorgonzola cheese on a

bed of mesclun greens. It was refreshing

and delicate.

A hot antipasto platter loaded with

eggplant parmesan, stuffed mushrooms,

grilled shrimp, stuffed clams and mush-

rooms was replaced in its stead. I had

one issue with the dish – I wanted more

clams, but was too afraid to ask for sec-

onds. Besides, I would soon be

chomping down on lobster ravioli,

striped sea bass and sautéed shrimp.

If you read carefully, you would revert

to the sentence where I expressed openly

and honestly my love for foods creamy,

cheesy and doughy. The lobster ravioli was

all of the above. The best part was three

hidden shrimp I unearthed in the sauce.

That was followed by a nicely cooked

striped bass in a tomato-based sauce and

adorned with sautéed shrimp.

For me, the piece de resistance was

the rib-eye steak smothered in a mush-

room cream sauce. It was accompanied

by roasted potatoes and green beans.

We slowly carved our way into the

bass and steak. Knowing dessert was

only minutes away we thought better of

finishing the meal.

Dessert was a welcomed surprise. First,

we introduced our palates to a beautifully

arranged martini glass loaded to the rim

with fruit bathed in a healthy splash of

Grand Marnier, topped with a dollop of

whipped cream and a lady finger. As we

sipped the sweet liquor, I thought here is a

perfect way to end a delightful meal.

It was not over.

Lucy brought out a slice of ricotta

cheesecake, which was accented by a

splotch of raspberry and chocolate syrup.

This was the perfect end to an ideal

evening. Good conversation, good food.

What else can you ask for?

—Sasha Austrie

In A Beautiful Kitchen

The cover of Jim

Steinmeyer’s book,

which details the

true-life exploits of

a Queens magician.

Restaurant Review

Faith

Clergy Unite To Combat Local Ills

Word“Whether you believe in

God or not does not matter

so much. Whether you

believe in Buddha or not

does not matter so much.

You must lead a good

life.”

The Dalai Lama

NotebookVaried Intership Program

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Leaving Teens Feeling Like VIPsBY SASHA AUSTRIE

Maybe it’s the $50 a week stipend or

maybe they genuinely understand that the

Varied Internship Program Inc. can be the

first step toward a successful life.

Whatever the reason, the headquarters

at 89-31 161st St. were crowded on March

11.

The scene seems like an anomaly, but

program director Nettie Johnson-Burgess

has seen this for 20 years.

“It is rewarding and fulfilling when you

see the change in young people,”

Johnson-Burgess said.

This particular Friday, the teenagers

were engaged in a workshop regarding

sexually transmitted infections. Johnson-

Burgess contends that the program, which

was created in April 1991 by Professor

James Blake, equips its students with life

skills, job readiness and friendship.

“Besides having a job, we have seen a

lot of bonding with the young people,”

she said.

The program is funded by the New

York State Office of Alcoholism and Sub-

stance Abuse Services. VIP is designed to

include local merchants in the training

and mentoring of youth ages 14 to 18.

Program Assistant Melecia Henriques

said there are about 50 students in the

program and a waiting list of about 30.

Johnson-Burgess said students are

placed at the libraries, St. Albans VA

Community Living Center and local hos-

pitals.

Rowan Vassell , 17, a Benjamin

Cardozo High School senior, is not shy

about his future career. Though he was

not placed in a facility that is close to his

interest, Vassell takes pride in what he

does. He wants to be a civil attorney and

he interns at the St. Albans VA.

“I didn’t have a job, and it gave me

something to do,” he said. Vassell has

steered many to VIP’s doors. His pitch is,

“Do you want to do something and get

something for absolutely nothing?”

Clearly, it has worked. It brought

Vanessa Mejia, 18, to VIP.

Mejia, also a Cardozo senior, has been

with the program since October 2010. Her

interest in the medical field led her to in-

tern at Queens Hospital Center. With

graduation approaching, she wanted to

narrow her focus. Mejia has settled on a

future as a physician’s assistant.

Meija said VIP has helped her stay

out of trouble.

“It’s like having a second parent,”

she said.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

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

7400, Ext. 123.

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Clergy United Community Empower-

ment is taking the community back to ba-

sics, back to a time when the church was

the center of black leadership.

“Most of the accomplishments in our

community started in a church,” said the

Rev. Charles Norris Sr., a member of

CUCE. “The NAACP started in a church,

the Civil Rights Movement started in the

church. Most black colleges started in a

church.”

On March 27, at 7 p.m., Calvary Bap-

tist Church, located at 111-10 Guy R.

Brewer Blvd., will host the first in a series

of rallies that will bring the church and

the community together.

Norris said the church rally will focus

on jobs, education, foreclosures, crime

and the St. Albans VA hospital.

“We hope to get the community in-

volved in solving problems,” he said. “The

community needs to be more active in

working with elected officials to get things

done. We will be doing it through action

taken in the church.”

Norris feels the community is frus-

trated with the way Mayor Mike

Bloomberg has handled the City’s educa-

tion system.

“This mayor has loused up education

in this city,” he said, adding there should

be an overseer of the Dept. of Education.

In terms of crime plaguing the streets

of Southeast Queens, he has renewed his

calls for a gun buyback program, which

would take illegal firearms off of streets.

“We are killing each other and nobody

is saying anything,” Norris said.

Norris believes jobs and foreclosures

are linked, claiming the lack of jobs and

the foreclosure crisis in Southeast Queens

are connected.

“If they gave us jobs, we could pay for

our homes and we wouldn’t go into fore-

closures,” he said.

The St. Albans VA has been a source

of contention for a number of years.

Norris said the closure of two hospitals

that serviced Southeast Queens should

persuade the VA and elected officials to

advocate for a full-service hospital that is

open to veterans and civilians.

“If you take out two hospitals and

don’t put sufficient [facilities] back in, you

The Varied Intership Program’s founder

Professor James Blake (inset) speaks to

participants of VIP’s session.

Clergy United Community Empowerment a rally on March 27, at 7 p.m., at Calvary Baptist

Church to bring the church and the community together.

are saying ‘let them black people die,’” he

said.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

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

7400, Ext. 123.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 19

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.

Haiti, Je T’aime!

Please join us for a presentation of

“Haiti, je t’aime!” followed by Haitian music

and dance performed by the Agoci Dance

Company. Finding inspiration in the tragic

earthquake of Jan. 2010, this moving col-

lection will be available for sale and

autographing. A reception will follow.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

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

All in the Timing

“All in the Timing” consists of nine

zany comedies all linked through the theme

of time, communication and relationships.

Playwright David Ives, a John Gassner

Playwrighting Award winner, takes the

audience on a veritable roller coaster of

excitement and exploration. This piece

contains adult language and content.

For additional information, contact

Timothy J. Amrhein at

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

3707.

This event will be held at the York

College Performing Arts Center, 94-45

Guy R. Brewer Blvd., at 8 p.m. Admission

is $7.

SUNDAY, MARCH 20

Open Mic

Featured Reader Nicole Cooley is from

New Orleans and is now a professor of

English at Queens College, where she di-

rects the new MFA Program in Creative

Writing and Literary Translation. She has

published five books, most recently the

poetry collections “Breach” (Louisiana

State University Press) and “Milk Dress”

(Alice James Books).

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

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

All in the Timing

See Saturday’s listing. At 3 p.m.

This event will be held at the York Col-

lege Performing Arts Center, 94-45 Guy R.

Brewer Blvd., at 8 p.m. Admission is $7.

MONDAY, MARCH 21

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.

How to Find a Job

The Job Information Center in collabo-

ration with New York Cares will help you

find the most useful Web sites when job

hunting. You must have basic computer

skills. Seating is limited; pre-registration is

required. Topics include an introduction

to Internet job searching; job search as-

sessment; job sites and resumes; applying

for jobs and a practice session.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 22

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.

All in the Timing

See Saturday’s listing. At 3 p.m.

This event will be held at the York

College Performing Arts Center, 94-45

Guy R. Brewer Blvd., at noon. Admission

is $7.

Queens Leadership Meeting

Councilman James Sanders and Bertha

Lewis of The Black Institute & New York

Communities for Change invite you to join

local elected officials, community mem-

bers, and labor activists to discuss the issue

of Wal-Mart coming to New York City.

Come learn about: the original Gateway II

project that was approved; history and

practices of Wal-Mart; an analysis of the

impact Wal-Mart would have on New York.

Please be advised that this meeting is by

invitation only. You must RSVP to

Donovan Richards

at Drichards@council.nyc.gov or (718)

527-4356.

This free event will be held at Saint

Luke Cathedral, 133-21 232nd St., from

7-9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

Lunch In Church

Join us for lunch and get refueled, re-

newed and refilled. This free event is held

every Wednesday at noon at the First

Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, 89-60

164th St. For more information, call (718)

526-4775, Ext. 10. Come just as you are.

Intro to Email

In this single-session workshop, cus-

tomers will learn how manage their own

email account and send and receive email

messages. Pre-registration is required in

person at the Cyber Center Desk. Partici-

pants must possess basic mouse and key-

boarding skills.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 24

Adult Chess Club

Practice your chess skills weekly, on

Monday and Thursday evenings.

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

day at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217

St., (718) 776-6800.

Financial Literacy Seminars

This is a five part series of workshops

on topics related to managing your per-

sonal finances. The day’s seminar will

focus on how to increase your savings

without increasing your paycheck.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 10:30

p.m.

How Much: Free

FRIDAY, MARCH 25

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.

Alexis Caputo

Alexis Caputo is a Florida and New

York-based performance artist, poet, writer

and activist. Caputo’s artistic portfolio

began in performance studies and educa-

tional theatre. A chief influence emerged,

as Caputo looked upon the historical con-

text of women’s contributions in the arts,

personal exploration and her contribution

to the educational community where her

instruction was received.

For additional information, contact

Jacqueline Bailey at jbailey@york.cuny.edu

or (718) 262-3750.

This event will be held at the York

College Performing Arts Center, 94-45

Guy R. Brewer Blvd., from 7-9 p.m. Admis-

sion is $20.

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 informa-

tion.

Group Sessions

Clergy United for Community Empower-

ment, Inc. Group Sessions are located at 89-

31 161st St., 10th Floor, Jamaica, for the

community on various topics such as Do-

mestic Violence, Mental Health, Substance

Abuse intervention, Decision Making, Con-

dom Use, High Risk Behaviors leading to

HIV, and self – esteem awareness. 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.

HIV Awareness

Clergy United for Community Empow-

erment provides intervention and curricu-

lum-based prevention education sessions

on HIV/AIDS, to reduce risk behaviors

that lead to HIV transmission. Services are

located at 89-31 161st St., Jamaica. Call

(718) 297-0720 ask about our presenta-

tion to adolescents and men/women of

color. Services are available Tue.-Thurs.,

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Laurelton Flea Market

A flea market has opened at 221-02

Merrick Blvd. On sale are a wide range of

items, including household items, jewelry

and clothing. The market is open every

Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CPR Class

Learn to protect yourself and others at

Heron Care with a CPR class that includes

a certification from the American Heart

Association. Please call (718) 291-8788

for more details. Heron is located at 168-

30 89th Ave., Jamaica.

PAL Volunteers

The Police Athletic League (PAL) is

looking for volunteers to continue its mis-

sion of serving New York City’s young

people by donating their time and talents

to help serve Queens youngsters at PAL’s

Redfern Cornerstone and Far Rockaway

Beacon in Arverne-Far Rockaway, PAL’s

Edward Byrne Center in South Jamaica

and PS 214 in Flushing.

PAL Centers in Queens offer a wide

range of opportunities for volunteers of all

talents. PAL’s Redfern Cornerstone and

Far Rockaway Beacon are looking for

people to participate in a center clean-up

day. Volunteers are needed to tutor and

mentor young people during the After

School Program’s daily homework help

sessions. In addition, individuals can also

donate their time assisting the many spe-

cial events held at PAL’s Centers through-

out the year. PAL is also seeking profes-

sionals to give career advice and talk about

their own careers to young people, as well

as guest speakers who can share informa-

tion on a specific hobby of interest to the

youngsters.

To become a volunteer with the Police

Athletic League or to learn more about

volunteer opportunit ies , please

visit palnyc.org. Volunteers will go

through an application process that in-

cludes an interview, screening and an

orientation. For more information, please

contact PAL’s Volunteer Coordinator,

Alexandria Sumpter-Delves, at (212)

477-9450, Ext . 390 or

volunteer@palnyc.org.

SECTION 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.

Queens Today

TEENS

CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flushinglibrary at 2.TEEN TUTORINGSaturdays, March 19, 26 atthe Bayside library at 10.TEST FESTSaturday, March 19 withthe Princeton Review at theRidgewood library. Register.OPEN MICSunday, March 20 at theCentral library at 2.TEEN TUTORINGMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Bayside library at 3:30.LAPTOPS FOR TEENSMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Hollis library at 4.CHESS CLUBMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Lefferts library at 6.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.SHSAT PRACTICEMonday, March 21 at theCambria Heights library at 3.YOUTH JOB FAIRMonday, March 21 at theFar Rockaway library at 3.TEST FESTMonday, March 21 with thePr ince ton Rev iew a t theSouth Hollis l ibrary. Regis-ter .COLLEGE BOUNDMonday, March 21 CollegeBound Club for Teens at 4 atthe Central library.SAT/ACT ADMISSIONSMonday, March 21 at theRichmond Hill library. Reg-ister.TEEN COMPUTERMonday, March 21 TeenCompute r Lounge a t theRochda le V i l l age l ib rar y.Register .COLLEGE PREPMonday, March 21 at thePomonok library at 5.MINI TABLE TENNISTuesday, March 22 comeplay table tennis at 4 at theLIC library.BOOK BUDDIESTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Hillcrest library at 3:30.LAPTOPS FOR TEENSTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Hollis library at 4.TEEN GAME DAYTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Rochdale Village libraryat 4.DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Baisley Park library. Reg-ister.COLLEGE PROCESSTuesdays, March 22, April11 at the Far Rockaway li-brary at 3:30.GRAPHIC NOVELISTTuesday, March 22 meetg raph ic nove l i s t Ne i lNumberman at 3:30 at theMiddle Village library.LANYARD MANIATuesday, March 22 at theBriarwood library at 4.IMAGE CONSULTANTTuesday, March 22 at theCambr ia He igh t s l i b rar y.Register .TEEN TRIVIATuesday, March 22 at theSeaside library at 4:30.CHESSWednesdays at 3:30 at theQueens Village library.TEEN COMPUTERWednesday, March 23 TeenCompute r Lounge a t theRochda le V i l l age l ib rar y.

Register .LEARN MAGICWednesday, March 23 atthe Woodside library at 4.TEST FESTThursday, March 24 with thePrinceton Review at the BayTerrace library. Register.FUTURE WRITERSSaturday, March 26 bookclub at the LIC library at 11.

PARENTS

TALKS

FAMILY RESOURCESaturday, March 19 FamilyResource Day w i th in foabout summer camps, childcare programs, educationalresources Flushing library at11.COLLEGE PROCESSTuesdays, March 22, April11 parents can learn aboutthe college process at 3:30at the Far Rockaway library.YOGA FOR PARENTSThursday, March 24 at theRidgewood library. Register.

PARANORMALSaturday, March 19 Paran-o rma l and Mys te ry BookClub will discuss “No SecondChance” LIC library at 3:30.AVI POSNICKMonday , March 21 Av iPosnick speaks at the BaysideJewish Center at 2 :30 on“Education is the Road toPeace.” 352-7900.INVESTOR TALKMonday, March 21 Inves-tor Education Seminar withSt. John’s Universit y Schoolof Law Securities ArbitrationClinic Flushing library 6:30.INTRO TO TAROTMonday, March 21 at theSeaside library at 6:30.POMONOKWednesday, March 23 “TheBlindness of the Heart” willbe discussed at the Pomonokbook club at 2.FRESH MEADOWSWednesday, March 23 “Ma-jor Pettigrew’s Last Stand”Fresh Meadows l ibrary at2:30.FINANCIAL LITERACYThursday, March 24 learn tomanage your persona l f i -nances at the Central library.RICHMOND HILLThursday, March 24 Rich-mond Hill Book Club at 3.PHILOSOPHY CLUBThursday, March 24 at theSeaside library at 6:30.WOMEN MOVERSSaturday, March 26 Wo-men Mak ing Moves : TheThree Ps: for Success: Plat-form, Power, Publishing at10:30 Langston Hughes l i -brary.DIE FREESaturday, March 26 authorCheryl Wil ls speaks abouther book “Die Free: A He-roic Family History” at 1:30at Barnes & Noble, 176-60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows.WOMEN & FOODSunday, March 27 “Mom’sHome Cooking: Women &Food in Queens History” lec-ture 2:30 Queens HistoricalSociet y. $8 non-members,$5 members. 939-0647.

SENIORS

AARP CHORUSL ike to s ing? The AARPQueens Chorus holds prac-t ice rehearsals for perfor -mances at nursing homes,rehab and senior centers .523-1330.FREE LUNCHSaturday, March 19 at AllSaints Church in RichmondHill. 849-2352 reservations.TAI CHI CLASSESMondays at 9 Pomonok Se-nior Center, 67-09 KissenaBlvd, Flushing. 591-3377.TAX HELPMondays, March 21, 28 freeindividual income tax coun-seling for low-income olderadults at 1 at the Sunnysidelibrary.AARP 1405Monday, March 21 Flush-ing AARP Chapter meets atthe Bowne Street Commu-n i t y Church , 143 -11Roosevelt Avenue at 1.CAREGIVERSEvery Tuesday CaregiversSupport group at 3:30-4:30at the Se l fhe lp Clearv iewSenior Center, 208-11 26th

Avenue, Bayside. 631-1886.TAX HELPTuesdays , March 22 , 29AARP free individual incometax counsel ing for low- in -come older adults at 1 at theBayside library. Also on Tues-day, March 22 at the Hollislibrary at 1.STAY WELLWednesdays at 10:15 at theEast Elmhurst library for ex-ercise and other health re-lated programs.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue.TAX HELPWednesdays, March 23, 30f ree tax help for low andmiddle incomes at the BroadChannel library at 1.TAX HELPThursdays , March 24, 31AARP free individual incometax counsel ing for low- in -come older adults at 1 at theFresh Meadows library.STARSFridays, March 25, April 1at 10:30 at the Queens Vil-lage library. Senior TheaterActing Repertory meets.FREE LUNCHSaturday , March 26 a tChurch of the Resurrectionin Kew Gardens. 847-2649reservations.

Queens Today

YOUTH

QUEENS LIBRARIESMany b ranches o f theQueensborough Library of-fer toddler and pre-schoolprograms. Contact your lo-cal branch for dates.KIDS’ THEATERThrough Saturday, April 9LaMicro Children’s TheaterWorkshop at the Sunnysidelibrary.STORY TIMESaturdays, March 19, 26,April 2 at the Ridgewoodlibrary at 11.STORY TIMESaturday, March 19 at theFlushing library at 11.ART FOR TOTSSaturdays, March 19, April16, Sundays, February 27,March 27, April 10 Art forTots 2-4 at the Noguchi Mu-seum. 204-7088.CATERPILLAR STORYSaturday, March 19 VeryHungry Ca te rp i l l a r S to rytime at 11 at Barnes & Noble,176 -60 Un ion Tu rnp ike ,Fresh Meadows.TEEN TUTORINGSaturdays, March 19, 26 atthe Bayside library at 10.MATH HELPSaturdays at the Flushing li-brary at 10.SCIENCE LABSaturdays, March 19, 26,April 2 at the Central libraryat 11.CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flushinglibrary at 2.STORY TIMESSaturdays at 11 and Tues-days at 10:30 weekly storytimes at 7 at Barnes & Noble,176 -60 Un ion Tu rnp ike ,Fresh Meadows.ANIMAL HOMESSaturday, March 19 at AlleyPond Environmental Center.229-4000 to register.ART FOR FAMILIESSunday, March 20 for fami-lies with children 5-11 at theNoguch i Museum. 204 -7088.KNIT & CROCHETMondays a t 4 a t theDouglaston/Li t t le Neck l i -b ra r y. B r ing need les andyarn.AFTERSCHOOL TIMEMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Arverne library at 3.CRAFT KIDSMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Flushing library at 3.HOMEWORK HELPMonday, March 21 wi thBOOST at the LIC library at3 .TEEN TUTORINGMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Bayside library at 3:30.CUDDLE-UP TIMEMondays , March 21 , 28Russ ian Cudd le -Up S to ryTime at the Forest Hil ls l i -brary at 3:30.CHESS CLUBMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Lefferts library at 6.LIVE ANIMALSMonday, March 21 at theCorona library. Register.PERFECT PETMonday, March 21 at 3 atthe Corona library and 4:30at the Jackson Heights l i -brary. Meet and learn aboutsome unusual pets.PLAY-DOH PARTYMonday, March 21 for thosein K-3 at the Fresh Meadows

library at 3:30.CIRCLE OF FRIENDSTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Glen Oaks library at 11.HOMEWORK HELPTuesday, March 22 wi thBOOST at the LIC library at3 .BOOK BUDDIESTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Hillcrest library at 3:30.DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Baisley Park library. Reg-ister.NUTRITION WORKSHOPTuesday, March 22 at theRidgewood library. Register.BOOST WOMENTuesday, March 22 BOOSTWomen’ s H i s to ry Monthprogram at the McGoldricklibrary at 5.CHESSWednesdays at the QueensVillage library at 3:30.CRAFTSWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Steinway library at 11.First come, first served.FAMILY COLORINGWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Queensboro Hil l l i -brary at 11:15.HOMEWORK HELPWednesday, March 23 withBOOST at the LIC library at3 .CHESS & CHECKERSWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Woodside library at 3.FUN READINGWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Bay Terrace library at3:30.CROCHETINGWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Bayside library. Regis-ter .CHESS CLUBWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Ridgewood library at4 .FAMILY STORYTIMEWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Queensboro Hil l l i -brary at 11.STORY TIMEWednesday, March 23 atthe East E lmhurst l ib rary.Register .BABY CRAWLWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Forest Hills library at1:30.NECKLACEWednesday, March 23 Na-t i ve Amer i can Neck laceworkshop at the Fresh Mead-ows library. Register.WAND CRAFTWednesday, March 23 Rain-bow Wand Craft at the EastFlushing library. Register.DISCOVER SCIENCEThursdays , March 24, 31wi th BOOST a t theMcGoldrick library at 5.HOMEWORK HELPThursday, March 24 withBOOST at the LIC library at3 .ARTS & CRAFTSThursday, March 24 at theAuburndale library at 4.AFTERSCHOOL TIMEThursdays, March 24, 31 atthe Arverne library at 3.SPRING CRAFTThursday, March 24 at thePomonok library at 3:30.BOOK TALKThursday, March 24 at thePoppenhusen library at 3:30.CHESS CLUBFridays at the Poppenhusen

library at 3:30.GAME DAYFr idays a t 3 :30 a t theQueens Village library.GAME PLAYERS CLUBFridays at the Hillcrest libraryat 4.GAME TIMEFridays at the Windsor Parklibrary at 4.CHESS CLUBFridays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library. Register.ACTIVITY TIMEFridays at the Briarwood li-brary at 3:30.RAISING READERSFriday, March 25 at the Pen-insula library at 10:30.WII SPORTSFriday, March 25 a t theMaspeth library at 3:30.GAME DAYFriday, March 25 BOOSTGame Day at the McGoldricklibrary at 5.FAMILY STORY TIMEFridays, March 25, April 1at the Seaside library at 11.HOMEWORK HELPFr iday , March 25 w i thBOOST at the LIC library at3 .BOOK BUDDIESFriday, March 25 a t theBayside library at 4.ARTS & CRAFTSFriday, March 25 a t theBriarwood library at 4.ARTS & CRAFTSFriday, March 25 at the EastFlushing library. Register.BOOK BUDDIESFriday, March 25 a t theFresh Meadows library at 4.CRAFTERNOONSFridays, March 25, April 1at the Ridgewood l ibrary.Register .PRESCHOOL CRAFTSFriday, March 25 a t theSunnyside library. Register.GAME DAYSFridays, March 25, April 1at the Bay Terrace library at2:30.READ TO MEFriday, March 25 a t theBriarwood library at 3.

SINGLES

THEATER

SINGLES SOCIAL & DANCESundays, March 27, April10, June 12 singles socialand dance from 2-6. $10.Over 45. Rego Park JewishCenter, 97-30 Queens Blvd.,Rego Park. 459-1000.

SLOW DANCEMarch 18-27 new Americanmusical Slow Dance will beperformed at Queens The-atre in the Park. 760-0064.ALL SHOOK UPSunday, March 27 featuresElvis songs at Queensbor-ough Communit y Col lege.631-6311.IN ARABIAMay 6-13 “In Arabia We’dAl l Be Kings” by StephenAdly Guirgis at Queensbor-ough Communit y Col lege.631-6284. $10, seniors $4,faculty and students $3.KILLING KOMPANYThe Ki l l ing Company per -forms mystery dinner shows.1-888-SHOOT-EM.

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Queens Today Queens Today

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS ENTERTAINMENT

INTRO FACEBOOKSaturday, March 19 at theLIC library at 10.FLOWER ARRANGE.Saturday, March 19 Cel -ebrate spring with a flowerarrangement demonstrationat the Bayside library at 2:30.PUBLIC SPEAKINGSaturdays, March 19, April2, 16, 30 learn to communi-cate effectively at ElmhurstHospital. 646-436-7940.BECOME A CITIZENSaturdays, March 19, 26 atthe LIC library.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 OWNERSSundays (not on holidays)from 1-4 free workshops onpet behavior at CrocheronPark in Bays ide (weatherpermitting). 454-5800.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.DRAWING CLASSMondays at the National ArtLeague in Douglaston. 361-0628.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.BALLROOM DANCEMondays, March 21, 28 Ball-room Danc ing w i th J i ngChen at the Forest Hills li -brary at 6:30.POETRY WRITINGMonday, March 21 poetrywr i t ing workshops a t theWoodhaven l ibrar y. Regis -ter .COMPUTER EMAILMonday, March 21 Com-puter Class Email at the FreshMeadows library. First come,first served at 10:30.FIND A JOBMonday, March 21 How toSearch the Internet to Finda Job at the Central library at6:30.ENGLISH CONVERSATIONMondays, March 21, 28 atthe LeF rak Ci t y l ibrary at10:30.CHESS CLUBMondays, March 21, 28 atthe Lefferts library at 6.BASIC COMPUTERTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Astoria, LIC and Glen-dale libraries. Register.INTRO EXCELMonday, March 21 Intro-duc t ion to Exce l a t theMaspeth library at 6.COMPUTER CLASSTuesdays at the Sunnysidelibrary. Register.KNIT & CROCHETTuesdays at the WindsorPark library at 2.SCRABBLE CLUBTuesdays at the East Flush-ing library at 3:30.COMPUTER CLASSTuesdays, March 22, 29 at

the Arverne library at 10.INTRO COMPUTERSTuesdays, March 22, 29 atthe Peninsula library. Regis-ter .MICROSOFT WORDTuesday, March 22 at theMcGoldrick library. Register.COMPUTER BASICSTuesday, March 22 at theQueens Village library. Reg-ister.ADVANCED COMPUTERTuesday, March 22 at theSteinway library. Register.TAX PREPTuesday and Thursday,March 22, 24 Self-GuidedTax P repa ra t ion a t t heSteinway library. Register.COMPUTER TIPSTuesday, March 22 Tips andTricks of Using Computersat the Maspeth library at 1.MEDITATIONTuesday, March 22 Medita-t ion fo r Body , Mind andSpirit at 2 at the Belleroselibrary. Thursday, March 24at the Steinway library at 6.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.DUPLICATE BRIDGEWednesdays 10:30-3:00 atthe Reform Temple of For-est Hi l l s . $12 sess ion, in -cludes light lunch. 261-2900.WATERCOLOR CLASSWednesdays at 9:30 at NAL.Tradit ional and contempo-rary, all levels. 969-1128.INDOOR SOCCER – DADSWednesday evenings at theForest Hills Jewish Center.263-7000.SCRABBLEWednesdays, March 23, 30at the Forest Hills library at2 .INTRO EMAILWednesday, March 23 atthe Central library. Register.EMAIL BASICSWednesday, March 23 atthe Windsor Park l ibrary.Register .QUILTING CLASSESThursdays 10-2 at the MariaRose Dol l Museum in S t .Albans. 276-3454 or 917-817-8653 to register.CHESS CLUBThursdays at the East Flush-ing library. Register.COMPUTER CLASSThursdays at the Queens-boro Hill library. Register.KNIT & CROCHETThursdays a t the F reshMeadows library at 6.SKETCHINGThursday, March 24 TheEssentials of Sketch at theFlushing library at 7.WRITERS’ WORKSHOPThursday, March 24 at theBayside library. Register.COMPUTER CLASSFriday, March 25 a t theMiddle Village library. Reg-ister.KNITTING CLUBFridays at the Maspeth li-brary at 10.KNIT & CROCHETFridays at the Fresh Mead-ows library at 10:30.ESL CLUBFriday, March 25 a t theLefrak City library at 10:30.SCRABBLE

Fridays Bananagrams andScrabble at the Windsor Parklibrary at 2:30.GAME DAYFridays, March 25, April 1chess, checkers and otherboard games at 2:30 at theBay Terrace library.CHESS CLUBFr iday , March 25 a t theAuburndale library at 3:30.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGSaturday, March 26 at theKnights of Columbus in Val-ley Stream. 341-0452.INTERVIEW PREPSaturday, March 26 Inter-view Preparation Workshopfor Adults at 3 at the Broad-way library.FM POETSSaturday, March 26 FreshMeadows Poets meet to dis-cuss and critique their workat 10 at the Forest Hills li-brary.

MEET THE COMPOSERSaturday , March 19 a tQueens Co l lege . Fo r thefamily. 793-8080.HAITIANSaturday, March 19 Haitianauthor talk followed by mu-sic and dance at 2 at theCentral library.AFRO-PERUVIAN JAZZSaturday, March 19 at theFlushing library at 2.ART IN NYSaturday, March 19 Art inNY: From Jackson Pollock toAndy Warhol and Beyond atthe Forest Hi l l s l ibrary at2:30.FOLK & PROTESTSaturday, March 19 SongsThat Moved a Generation:Folk and Protest Songs of the1960s at the Peninsula l i -brary at 2:30.OPEN MICSunday, March 20 at theCentral library at 2.UKRAINIAN DANCESunday, March 20 Voloshkyperforms at 3 at Queens-bor-ough Communit y Col lege.631-6311.JEWISH CONCERTMonday, March 21 Interna-tional Resource Center pre-sents Music and Voices ofthe Mu l t i cu l tu ra l J ew i shCommunit y at the Flushinglibrary at 6.IRISH MUSICMonday, March 21 Irish Tra-ditional Music with fiddlerBernadette Fee and vocalistMary Cour tney a t theSunnyside library at 6.MOVIE & TALKMondays the F r iends o fPomonok present a movieand discussion. Bring lunch.1 at the Pomonok library.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.CHAMBER MUSICTuesday, March 22 Musicof Beethoven, Dvorak andFaure. Tuesday, Apri l 12Jazz from Queens College.Friday, April 22 Windscape.Tuesday, Apr i l 26 Lu c yShelton and Friends. Friday,May 6 C la remont Tr io .LeF rak Concer t Ha l l a tQueens College at 10. Freepark ing . $95 ser ies . 997 -3802.CZESLAW MILOSZTuesday, March 22 Centen-nial Celebration of the Workof Czeslaw Milosz at 7 in theMusic Bui lding at QueensCollege. $20. 793-8080.BLUESThursday, March 24 EddieLee Isaacs and the Rockin’S ide o f the B lues a t theWhitestone library at 2.SONGS OF THE 60SThursday, March 24 Songso f the S i x t i e s a t theMcGoldrick library at 2:30.OPEN MICThursday, March 24 at theEast Elmhurst library at 6.LIVE JAZZFridays through December13 at 180-25 Linden Blvd..,S t . A lbans . 347-262-1169

ticket information.ABBAMANIASaturday , March 26 a tQueensborough Commu-nity College. 631-6311.DOO-WOPSaturday, March 26 annualfundraising Doo Wop con-cert at Beach Channel HS.755-6262.RUSSIAN FESTIVALSaturday, March 26 at theFlushing l ibrary start ing atnoon.WOMEN’S HISTORYSaturday, March 26 ce l -ebrating Women’s HistoryMonth with New Voices inF i c t ion a t the Langs tonHughes library at 1.SYMPHONY 101Saturday, March 26 at 1 atthe Lefferts library and at 3at the Bayside library.MERCERSaturday, March 26 tributeto Johnny Mercer at the For-est Hills library at 2.ART IN EUROPE

Saturday, March 26 Pro-vocative Fin de Siecle: Artin Europe at the End of the19 th Century at the FreshMeadows library at 3.LATIN/AFRO-CARIBBEANSaturday, March 26 at theLangston Hughes library at3:30.PET THEATRESunday, March 27 GregoryPopovich Comedy Pet The-atre at Queens College. 793-8080.KAROAKESunday, March 27 at theCommunity House in ForestHills. 279-3006 for ticket in-formation. Fundraiser for theOratorio Society of Queens.RAGTIMESunday, March 27 ParagonRagtime Orchestra at Flush-ing Town Hall. 894-2178.STAMP SHOWSunday, March 27 at theRamada Inn, 220-33 North-ern Blvd., Bayside. Free. 10-4:30.HEALTH

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS7 days a week. 962-6244.TAKE CONTROLSaturday, March 19 TakeControl of your Health at thePeninsula Hospital Rehabili-tation Center in the Medita-t ion room, 51 -15 BeachChanne l Dr i ve , Fa rRockaway.ZUMBASaturday, March 19 at theLangs ton Hughes l ib ra r y.Register .CHAIR YOGAMonday, March 21 at theRosedale library. Register.ZUMBAMondays, March 21, 28 atthe St. Albans library. Regis-ter .ASK THE DOCTORMonday, March 21 at theLIC library at 6.CHAIR YOGATuesday, March 22 Wood-haven library. Register.CHAIR YOGATuesday, March 22 RegoPark library. Register.ALZHEIMERSTuesday, March 22Caregiver Support Group inForest Hills. 592-5757, ext.237.LOSE WEIGHTTuesday, March 22 Maxi-mize Your Metabol i sm toLose Weigh t a t 2 a t theHillcrest library.FIBROMYALGIATuesday, March 22 at theFresh Meadows library at 3.ZUMBAWednesday , March 23Zumba Class at the Flushinglibrary. Register.OAThursdays a t the HowardBeach library at 10:30.ZUMBAThursday, March 24 at theCorona library. Register.HATHA YOGAThursdays, March 24, 31 atthe Queensboro Hill libraryat 6 . Br ing mat and wearcomfortable clothing.CHAIR YOGAThursday , March 24Howard Beach library. Reg-ister.ZUMBAFr iday , March 25 a t theAstoria library. Register.

MEETINGS

BELLA ITALIA MIASundays, March 20, April 10Bella Italia Mia will meet.457-4816.P-FLAGSunday, March 20 PFLAG,a support group for parents,families and friends of lesbi-ans and gays, meet in ForestHills. 271-6663.MENS CLUB SOCCERTuesday evenings at the For-est Hills Jewish Center. 263-7000.FH VACWednesdays , March 23 ,April 27 Forest Hills Volun-teer Ambulance Corp meets.793-2055.ST. ALBANS CIVICSunday, March 27 St. AlbansCivic Improvement Associa-t ion meet s a t S t . A lbansLu the ran Church , 200 th

Street and 199th Avenue inthe undercroft at 1:30.JEWISH VETSSunday, March 27 JewishWar Veterans of the USALipsky/Blum Post meet at theGarden Jewish Center. 463-4742.

FLEA MARKETS

RELIGIOUS

SPRING TREASURESaturday, March 19 9:30-3:30 and Sunday, March 2011:30-3:30 bake and booksale, used clothing, more atChurch of the Resurrection,85 -09 118 th S t ree t , R i ch -mond Hill.FLEA MARKETSunday, March 20 9-4 fleamarket and e thn ic Po l i shbake sale at St. Josaphat, 35th

Avenue and 210th S t ree t ,Bayside.SPRING BOOK SALESunday, March 27 9-3 at theBe l l e rose Jew i sh Cente r .Books, records, DVDs andmore. 254-04 Union Turn-pike, Floral Park.

REFORM TEMPLEFriday, March 18 “HealingPsalms” author will be theguest speaker at the 8pmShabbat service. Sunday,March 20 Purim Celebrationwith “Megillah Mia,” a sing-a-long at 10. Reform Templeof Forest Hills, 71-11 112th

Street. 261-2900.REGO PARK JCSaturday, March 19 ce l -ebrate Purim at 8. Sunday,March 27 l i gh t b runch ,make collage art, appreciatepoetry and join in singingYiddish songs. $5. 11:30am.Rego Park Jewish Center ,97 -30 Queens B lvd . 459 -1000.HILLCRESTSaturday, March 19 PurimCelebration 7:30. Sunday,March 20 Minyan 8:30 fol-lowed by Megillah readingat 9:15. Hillcrest Jewish Cen-

ter, 183-02 Union Turnpike,Flushing. 380-4145.FOREST HILLSSunday, March 20 7 th An-nua l Pur im Carn iva l a f terMegillah reading noon-2:30.Come in your favorite cos-tume! Fores t Hi l l s JewishCenter. 263-7000, ext. 200.BAYSIDE JCSunday, March 20 Purim on32nd Avenue with a hot buf-fet dinner and music at theBayside Jewish Center. $22.352-7900.BELLEROSE JCSunday, March 20 PurimCarnival following the 10amreading . Be l le rose JewishCenter, 254-04 Union Turn-pike, Floral Park. 343-9001.PURIM PARTYTuesday, March 22 Park HillsHadassah Chapter will holda Hadassah Purim Party atthe Rego Park Jewish Cen-ter. 275-0636.LUTHERAN REDEEMERWednesdays, March 23, 30Midweek Lenten Service at7:30. Lutheran Church of theRedeemer, 157-16 65th Av-enue, Flushing. 358-2744.JEWISH MEDITATIONThursdays, March 24, April7 at the Hi l lcrest JewishCenter. $10 suggested do-nation. 380-4145. 7:30.

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Press Policy: All advertisers areresponsible to give correct

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People

Tell The PRESS

Send notices of graduation, awards,

anniversaries, engagements and honors to:

PRESS of Southeast Queens,150-50 14th

Rd.,Whittestone, NY 111357

All announcements will be considered for

publication without fee.

Air National Guard Airman 1st Class

Andrew R. Cruz graduated from basic mili-

tary 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.

Cruz earned distinction as an honor

graduate.

He is the son of Patricia Cruz of

Andrew R. Cruz

Rockaway Park, and brother of Tina Cruz

of Rockaway Beach.

The airman graduated in 2007 from

Christ The King Regional High School,

Middle Village.

The following students are on the

Dean’s List for their outstanding aca-

demic achievement for the Fall 2010 se-

mester from Harpur College of Arts and

Sciences at Binghamton University, State

University of New York.

The criteria for the Dean’s Honors list

is a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

Jennifer D. Etienne of Cambria

Heights, Sharisse Chante Grimes of St.

Albans, Kristina C. Smith of St. Albans,

Samuel Opoku-Acheampong of Springfield

Gardens, Ashley Symone Baird of

Rosedale, Samantha Michaelle Garcon of

Rosedale, Shannon M. Green of Rosedale,

Rebecca Abimbola Olufade of Rosedale,

Brian P. Lee of Jamaica, Mohammad

Mairaj Khan of Bellerose, Justin Daniel

Mathew of Bellerose, Tabitha Witthauer

of Bellerose, Christine Marie Hernandez

of Queens Village, Thomas M.

McElhenney of Bellerose, Kathleen Anne

Zabala of Queens Village, Madalyn L.

Lesman of Jamaica Estates, Alyssa

Hannah Lowenwirt of Jamaica, Carol

Guerra of Briar wood, Weijing Ji of

Briarwood, Caroline Anne Marguerite

Perny of Jamaica, Swagato Bhattacharyya

of Far Rockaway, Marva Amanda Forsyth

of Far Rockaway, Amanda Grannis of Far

Rockaway, Kasparas Vilimas of Arverne

and Tammie A. Schneider of Belle Harbor.

The following students are on the

Dean’s List for their outstanding aca-

demic achievement for the Fall 2010 se-

mester from the Decker School of Nurs-

ing at Binghamton University, State Uni-

versity of New York.

The criteria for the Dean’s Honors list

is a minimum grade point of 3.5.

Sophia Buszwatiuk of Astoria, Janice

Hou of Flushing, Katherine Becerra of

Flushing, Anna Kristina Madrazo of Jack-

son Heights, Charles K. Young of Rego

Park and Nikkon Santarina Singh of Ja-

maica.

The New York Lottery announced the

names of area Lottery players who

claimed a winning ticket from one of the

Lottery’s live drawings between Feb. 27

and March 5. The following winners each

received a cash prize valued at $10,000

or more.

Mark Mosias of Astoria who won

$10,000 on the Mega Millions drawing

of Feb. 22. Mosias’s winning ticket was

purchased at the Wandy’s Market at 34-

17 28th Ave. in Astoria.

Awadkumar Jewat of Woodhaven who

won $10,000 on the Mega Millions draw-

ing of Feb. 25. Jewat’s winning ticket was

purchased at the 7-Eleven at 99-49

Horace Harding Blvd. in Corona.

Jorge Orellana of Jamaica who won

$32,487 on the Take Five drawing of Feb.

27. Orellana’s winning ticket was pur-

chased at the Lucky D & J Convenient

Store at 42-33 College Point Blvd. in

Flushing.

Fernando Garcia of Long Island City

who won $10,000 on the Mega Millions

drawing of Jan. 4. Garcia’s winning ticket

was purchased at the Jackson News &

Magazine at 49-17 Vernon Blvd. in Long

Island City.

Haniff Mohammed of Hollis who won

$32,487 on the Take Five drawing of Feb.

27. Mohammed’s winning ticket was pur-

chased at the Honish Deli Grocery at

182-46 Hillside Ave. in Jamaica.

Evangelos Zimnis of Middle Village who

won $24,291 on the Take Five drawing of

Feb. 28. Zimnis’s winning ticket was pur-

chased at the Middle Village Card at 79-

24 Eliot Ave. in Middle Village.

Widener University School of Law

Dean Linda L. Ammons recently an-

nounced the fall 2010 dean’s list of stu-

dents for the Delaware campus. Students

named to the list earned a grade point

average in the top 20 percent of their class

and division for the semester.

They include Jade Morrison o f

Rockaway Park.

Conf ident ia l ly, New York . . .

As this is Women’s HistoryMonth, the National Women’s Hallof Fame in Seneca Falls – the birth-place of Women’s Suffrage andthe fight for equal rights – hasnamed a handful of new inductees– and a Queens gal has made thelist.

The 11 women inducted includesuch luminaries as Coretta ScottKing and Donna Shalala, but alsojoining the list is Billie Holiday.The sultry yet troubled songstresswho lived in South Flushing diedmore than 50 years ago, but herinfluence is seen today amongsome of the best singers in pop,jazz and R&B.

Congratulations, again, LadyDay.

HummingDid someone make a wrong turn

at Kandahar?While driving to our office in

Whitestone last week, we encoun-tered a surprising neighbor driv-ing with us northbound on theVan Wyck Expressway near Flush-ing.

A Humvee, and not one of thecommercialized gas-guzzling ver-sions GM marketed to people whoneeded to feel like they were in-vading Iraq while going to Costco,drove alongside the Hondas andDodges on the busy expressway.The military vehicle caught oureye in our rear-view mirror north ofJewel Avenue. Reflexively, weslowed down and tuned in to the

Lady’s Day

Flushing gal Billie Holiday

It doesn’t happen often, but every now andthen a star from Queens suddenly bursts ontothe scene. That is the case of Nicki Minaj.

Born Onika Tanya Maraj to West Indianparents in Trinidad, Nicki grew up on the islandwhile her parents worked and lived in Queens.When she was 5, mom showed up andbrought her to Queens to get a good edu-cation.

Nicki went to MS 210 on 93rd Streetand 101st Avenue, where she playedthe clarinet. Shewas also a singerand wanted to act,so she tried out forthe LaGuardiaHigh School ofMusic and theArts. The day ofher vocal audition,her voice cracked, soshe had to settle for drama.

It was while in school thatNicki began formulating a vision of acareer in entertainment. In 2007, at the ageof 22, she released her first mix tape, quicklyknocked out two more and won the FemaleArtist of the Year award in 2008 from theUnderground Music Awards.

A contemporary of Westchester nativeLada Gaga, Minaj has a sexy look and ribaldlyrics that have drawn comparisons to thechameleon-like pop star.

With a string of awards from BET and aGrammy nomination, we expect to see more ofthis Queens gal as she makes her way into themusic players of a new generation of listeners.

Darling Nikki

Nicki MinajHome: WoodhavenAge: 27Height: 5’ 4"Weight: 125 lbsStats: 34-26-45

Models OfQueens

City Gets DissedSalt-N-Pepa, the female hip-hop trio of Cheryl

“Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton (with DJDiedra “Spinderella” Roper on the wheels of steel),was one of the first female hip-hop acts to be seen asa force in the burgeoning scene in the late 1980s.

Having grown up in Western Queens and at-tended Grover Cleveland HS in Ridgewood, theladies made the big time with their breakthrough“Push It,” followed by a string of hits.

Though time played its tricks on the gals and theysplit for a while, they recently reunited for a “Hip-HopLegends Tour” featuring such fellow acts as KoolMoe Dee, Slick Rick, Rob Base, MC Lyte and more.

Taking their show on the road, they’ve beenplaying to packed crowds up and down the EastCoast. But there’s certainly one town missing – NewYork!

With our town considered the birthplace of hip-hop, and home to more of its legends than AncientGreece had gods, it’s shocking that these Queens

Salt-N-Pepa back in the day

women can only come as close to their hometown asNewark, Philadelphia or – yikes – Buffalo.

Hey Spinderella, bring that beat back home.

A Heavy LoadSlow down there, Madame.

Those tightie whities seem a justbit too snug.

After attempting to sneak 1,699$100 bills stitched in her undiespast customs agents at JFK Air-port, one Queens woman nowfaces up to 21 months in prison.

Before flying in from Khartoum,Sudan, Claire Abdeldaim stuffedthe sizeable sum she received fromselling her late husband’s prop-erty down below.

Her defense lawyer claimedAbdeldaim did not understand thecustoms declaration form and hadevery good intention of passingon the money to her children as aninheritance.

The drawers were made for

dollars

Abdeldaim is now free on$100,000 bail and is scheduled forsentencing on June 20.

It seems smuggling a bountifulbooty past airport security is notas easy you would think.

closest radio news station to see ifwe were at war.

The Humvee passed us on theleft; we caught a glimpse of thedriver, dressed in fatigues.

We managed to follow it until

we lost it as it headed east on theCross Island Parkway inWhitestone, surprising us as wehad always assumed Humveeswere considered commercial ve-hicles.

Apparently it’s hard to find a Hummer in Queens.

The Donald is at it again. Whether itis for sport or it is a decision based on anew marketing scheme, Queens nativeDonald Trump is giving mixed messagesabout his potential 2012 presidential bid.

The media hog dispatched a senioraide to Iowa, but Trump has seeminglynot left his penthouse in New York. Hehas had zero, zilch, nada campaign stopsand no one knows where he stands,other than in the Republican camp.

Can you imagine a Trump presidency? That comb over blowing inthe wind every time Air Force One lands? Can you imagine him tryingto fire Muammar Gaddafi as leader of Libya?

It makes us nervous just thinking about it. Please Donald, stick towhat you know. Open a restaurant, fire washed up celebrities that needa boost in their ailing careers or come home to your roots and save ouriconic bridge’s name.

Really, Donald?

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