Woodhaven Richmond Hill Kiwanis Club Hopes for More Members by Lisa Fraser - Leader-Observer

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Joan DeCamp, president of the Richmond Hill-Woodhaven Kiwanis club and David Quintana, a RHW Kiwanis member, pose for a picture with Project Woodhaven blogger, Ed Wendell

The Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Kiwanis Club held their first meeting of the spring on Wednesday, March 9, in an effort to recruit more community members and to have their voice heard more in the area.

Held at Avenue Diner at 91-06 Jamaica Avenue, local community businesses and members discussed the history and goals of their organization.

Joan DeCamp, the president of the club, spoke about the various community outreach services that the club performs, such as the Key Club at Richmond Hill High School, food drives at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the scholarship program, which offers two $2,500 scholarships to residents of Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Kew Gardens or Forest Hills who demonstrate academic excellence, and three $600 scholarships awarded within the Kiwanis family.

The Richmond Hill-Woodhaven Kiwanis club is one of 18 clubs in the Kiwanis Queens west area.

Boxing - Woodhaven NY Card Announced - FightNews.com

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On March 4th, the first ever show promoted by New Legend Boxing Promotions will take place at the Cordon Bleu Banquet Hall in Woodhaven, New York (part of the NYC borough of Queens). In the main event, former amateur standout and undefeated super middleweight Will Rosinsky (13-0, 7 KOs) will see action in an eight round bout against Alfredo Trevino (6-1, 1 KO). There will be three six round-co features that will have some great local talent on display. In a super bantamweight bout, undefeated Juan Dominguez (6-0, 4 KOs) will take on an opponent to be named. Light heavyweight Joel Castillo (7-0, 4 KOs) of the Bronx, New York will also see action in a six rounder. Also, after a four-and-a-half year layoff, Light heavyweight Aneudi Santos (12-5, 9 KOs) will return in a light heavyweight bout.

Senator Addabbo Says "Enough!" To Parking Meter Rate Hike By DOT Effective January 3, 2011...

Showing solidarity with the stance taken by The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association in their December 7 press release, NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., whose district includes Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Forest Hills, Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth and parts of other Queens areas all having commercial strips, now adds his strong objection to the upcoming increase in parking meter rates. Starting January 3, 2011, a quarter will buy 15 minutes at a parking meter, rather than 20 minutes, the second time in less than two years that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has increased meter rates. As recently as spring of 2009, a quarter bought 30 minutes at a parking meter.

"I expect this rate increase will hurt the businesses on Jamaica, Liberty, Myrtle, Metropolitan, Grand and Continental Avenues, Crossbay and Rockaway Boulevards, all lined with parking meters. It will also result in more parking tickets for residents and other consumers who, instead of boosting their local small businesses, will drive out of these areas to malls with parking lots to avoid such parking harassment.

"This is a bad decision by DOT that will hurt working families and the middle class the most, like my district residents, who already are being nickel-and-dimed enough at the gas pump, the grocery store, on mass transit and the post office, and who must park on our streets as they drive around Queens, the largest New York City borough," said Addabbo.

"How do all the parking ticket and meter fees collected by DOT get spent -- do New Yorkers get any benefit out of all the money that's collected from parking offenders? If DOT will not reconsider this rate hike being imposed right after the holiday season, I would urge the agency to at least post signs this time, informing everyone of the change," added the Senator. In 2009, after the last rate increase, many drivers were caught by surprise because the DOT did not post any warnings of the price hike.

"At a time when everyone feels their wallets can't take any more hits, does the city and DOT really want to punish small mom-and-pop shops and hurt local commercial strips already reeling across New York City? I'd like to work with other local electeds, other local BIDs like Woodhaven's, more civic organizations and block associations in Queens -- to take our borough's opposition to such an annoying parking meter increase right to the doorstep of City Hall in Manhattan. That’s a much smaller borough, where vehicles and their drivers have not been welcome for some time," commented Addabbo.

Jamaica Leaders Hope Wonder Bread Successor Will Boost Downtown by Keith Honen - Crain's New York Business

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With Hostess Brands Inc.'s decision last month to shutter its out-of-date Wonder Bread factory in Queens, some 200 workers are about to lose their jobs, and another piece of the city's manufacturing sector will slip away.

But for the surrounding neighborhood of Jamaica, the closure could yet have a positive impact, as it frees up a 100,000-square-foot factory in the heart of one of the largest commercial hubs in the borough. The change comes at a time when local business leaders are seeking to refocus the downtown area.

“The bakery has served the region for 125 years, basing its success on the site's proximity to mass transit and access to a vast market for its products,'' says Carlisle Towery, president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. “[The site's availability] presents a tremendous opportunity.”

The area's existing shopping district, centered mostly along Jamaica and Hillside avenues, features both ethnic shops and national chain stores and restaurants. Business leaders hope to add a wider variety of stores and entertainment to attract patrons from the borough's most powerful economic engine: John F. Kennedy International Airport. The area offers a number of transportation links, including the AirTrain, but relatively little that can persuade the flight attendants, pilots and tourists passing through Jamaica to stop and spend some money.

Jack Friedman, executive vice president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, says his group is focused on cashing in on the city's expanding tourism industry, and Jamaica is one area where that's a possibility. A massive rezoning three years ago helped set the stage by green-lighting larger commercial towers and hotels around the AirTrain station.

A spokeswoman from Hostess Brands say it is too early to determine what business will succeed Wonder Bread; the company will begin the process of selling the facility after its planned Jan. 7 shutdown. At this point, she notes, the company is concentrating on assisting workers in finding jobs or accessing unemployment benefits. She adds that the popular Wonder Bread outlet store formerly based out of the factory will be kept open; it will move to nearby a storefront and will be stocked by the closest factories, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM?

Meanwhile, not everyone is convinced that Jamaica is ready for a star turn with tourists.

“I don't see people hopping off the AirTrain or the Van Wyck Expressway to come here,'' says City Councilman Leroy Comrie, who represents Jamaica.

He believes that city officials would do better to seek another food manufacturer for the Wonder Bread site—perhaps even one that would be involved in high-end food catering for JFK or one of the airlines operating there.

The odds against food makers finding the amount of space they need in the city at a price they can afford are increasingly long. Earlier this year, Sabra Dipping Co. sold its hummus factory in Astoria, Queens, after it decided to move production to a bigger space in Richmond, Va. Old London Foods' melba toast factory and the Stella D'oro bakery—both in the Bronx—were recently shut down as the companies moved operations to larger factories in North Carolina and Ohio, respectively.

Downtown Jamaica isn't the only area in the borough trying to tap into JFK's rich tourist market. Aqueduct Racetrack in nearby Ozone Park hopes to lure tourists, too, as new operator Genting New York begins a $1.3 billion upgrade to the track and the construction of a racino. The venue, located just a few blocks from the airport and surrounding hotels, will feature video slot machines, a food court and a bar with performance space.

Rufus King Library Sheds Light On Historic Statesman by Jason Antos - www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette

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We are often judged by what we leave behind. Possessions can serve as a window into an individual’s mentality, faults and achievements.


The library of Rufus King is evidence of such a legacy. King, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, presidential candidate and resident of Jamaica, was a prolific politician, abolitionist, family man and lover of books.


“King was ahead of his time,” historian David Gary said.


Gary, who once gave tours of King’s estate, King Park at 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, has been researching the history of the 2,200-title library of the one time senator and ambassador to Great Britain.


“I want my research to bring Rufus King and his ideals to light,” Gary said. “King was an antislavery advocate four decades before Lincoln.”


King chose to hire free workers to tend to his property on Jamaica Avenue, rather than engaging in the practice of slavery.


According to Gary, King read a vast number of books covering many topics, including travel books, history (modern and classical), politics, philosophy, natural law, speeches, languages science, geography, biography/memoir, current events, bound newspapers and magazines. King was also known for reading certain books many times. Evidence of this has been found in small notations he made on the front pages of numerous books. About 20 percent of the books in the collection display such markings made by King.


During his research, Gary noted that King possessed 10 volumes printed in the 16th century, 150 volumes from the 17th century, 250 volumes from the first half of the 18th century and a number of antique volumes as well as pamphlets and letters.


King wasn’t a fan of fiction; however, he did enjoy the theater and had a collection of Shakespeare as well as 22 volumes of “Bell’s Theater”, a popular omnibus of works by several playwrights. The collection also included a number of books covering maritime and international law.


“The more I find in the collection of King’s library, the more insight we have into his political ideals and morals,” Gary said.


Born in Massachusetts in 1755, King’s passion for books began when his father, Richard, traded a pair of his own shoes for two volumes, which he gave to young Rufus, then 11 years old. Richard King would go on to have a library of 35 books.


King purchased the home in 1805 and expanded the farm that now makes up King Manor. He died Apr. 29, 1827 and his funeral was held on the property that is now an historic site. He is buried in the Grace Church Cemetery in Jamaica.


The Rufus King Manor organization, founded in 1900, is the only historic house museum in Southeast Queens. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated King Manor as a landmark in 1966, with portions of the interior designated in 1976. The home and property were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The King Manor Museum Society provides the community with lectures and walking tours while preserving a collection of architectural, archaeological and historical research articles.


The Rufus King School, P.S. 26 in Fresh Meadows, and Rufus King Hall on the Queens College campus help to continue King’s little known legacy.


For more information, visit www.kingmanor.org.


Photo Jason D. Antos

Senator Joe Addabbo Visits Small Businesses in Woodhaven - Joined by Congressman Anthony Weiner, Comptroller John Liu

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Seeks Community Input from Local Residents and Business Owners

On Sunday, October 17, State Senator Joe Addabbo—joined  by Congressman Anthony Weiner, Comptroller John Liu, and members of the community—visited stores and restaurants along Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, reaching out to small business owners and residents of the Queens neighborhood.

Senator Addabbo said, “Small businesses are the backbone of our community and play a critical role in maintaining our neighborhood’s character and economic health. But they are still struggling in these hard economic times – we have to continue our efforts in helping them overcome the obstacles of running their business, create more local jobs, and remain a vital economic and cultural element of our neighborhoods. An open, continuous dialogue with local businesses is an important step in understanding their challenges and finding solutions.”

Senator Addabbo has made strengthening the local economy a central focus of his work. He helped bring thousands of jobs—and millions of dollars—to Queens with the Aqueduct Racetrack project. In addition to creating jobs, Senator Addabbo has fought to ensure that existing jobs remain in the community, writing the law to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs out of state, and pushed to use this savings to create incentives to hire new workers and provide job training programs.

Senator Addabbo’s community initiatives also include helping small businesses cut down on their utility bills through joint initiatives with energy providers, and sponsoring several large job fairs to connect hundreds of employers with thousands of job seekers in the community.

Historians Lobby for State Signage to Recognize Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Woodhull by Nicholas Hirshon - NY Daily News

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The cannon at Nathaniel Woodhull School (PS 35) in Hollis is the only marker of death of the Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Woodhull. Historians are lobbying for official state signage.

Exactly 234 years ago this month, a Revolutionary War general died from wounds incurred during a defiant showdown with the British - a gripping tale of patriotism that began in Queens.

But the spot where Nathaniel Woodhull was mortally wounded in 1776 does not bear tribute to the first high-ranking colonial officer to become a prisoner of war and die in enemy captivity.

"It needs to be preserved as a reminder of his sacrifice," said John Mauk Hilliard, president of the city chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. "We need these things to draw us together."

A few weeks ago, Daily News reader Lavington Charles suggested the spot where Woodhull was fatally injured - at 196th St. and Jamaica Ave. in Hollis - as part of the Queens Heritage Quest series.

Now in its fourth installment, the series profiles places that preservationists feel deserve recognition from Borough Hall - such as signage or historic trails linked by brochures or podcasts.

A state historical marker citing Woodhull's capture once stood at the corner. But the sign broke about a decade ago and has since been stored at the Queens Historical Society in Flushing.

Queens' new borough historian, Jack Eichenbaum, did not rule out his support for historical signage. But he also suggested an iPhone application to link notable Hollis sites or Queens places relating to the American Revolution.

Locals agreed on paying tribute to Woodhull.

"What happened to him is a lesson for every one of us," said Bob Singleton, president of the Greater Astoria Historical Society. "That dream that Woodhull stood for is alive and well whenever I walk around Queens."

Woodhull, president of the Provincial Congress of New York, was assigned to steer cattle east to Long Island - and away from the British - when he stopped at a tavern in Queens on Aug. 28, 1776.

From there, the narrative gets sketchy.

Tradition describes a dramatic scene during which Woodhull encountered British forces and soon surrendered his sword. An officer then ordered Woodhull to proclaim, "God save the king."

"God save us all!" Woodhull responded. The officer, sometimes identified as Capt. James Baird, slashed Woodhull with a saber - delivering multiple blows that led to his death in captivity about a month later on Sept. 20.

But a different story emerged in 1951 when The New York Times ran a front-page article in which researcher W.H.W. Sabine doubted the compelling exchange.

Sabine cited a dusty scrapbook with Woodhull's own account of the capture - apparently given to a lieutenant who was with him in a prison camp when he died.

Woodhull supposedly said that he surrendered his sword to - and was then struck by - an American Tory, loyal to the British, named Capt. Oliver DeLancey.

Whether Woodhull was fatally struck while defending himself or after surrendering also became a point of contention. Experts even question his memorable quote.

Regardless of the circumstances, historians insist that Woodhull's death helped define a crucial period around the time of the famous Battle of Long Island.

His agonizing demise - and the apparent refusal by the British to allow medical care - reminded colonists of the brutality of their rivals.

"The fact that he died as a British prisoner, no matter how that happened, was an important one," said Brooklyn College Prof. Edwin Burrows, the author of the 2008 book "Forgotten Patriots," about early American POWs.

Hit-and-Run Critically Injures Man in Woodhaven, Queens - Eyewitness News - 7online.com

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Police in Queens are searching for a hit and run driver.

Police say a dark colored SUV hit a pedestrian at Jamaica Avenue and 85th Street.


It happened just before 2 a.m. Sunday in Woodhaven.


The SUV fled the scene going eastbound on Jamaica Avenue.


The 45-year-old man was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition.


CBS 2 Video Report...

Book Review: ‘Cypress Hills Cemetery’ Tells Stories, Reveals Secrets by Linda J. Wilson - Queens Gazette

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Cypress Hills Cemetery
By Stephen C. Duer and
Allan B. Smith
ISBN: 9780738573434
128 pages
Arcadia Publishing
On Sale: September 6













A book with the word “Cemetery” in its title can be counted on to scare some people off. In the case ofCypress Hills Cemetery, by Stephen C. Duer, whose passion for cemeteries led him to create Cemetery Nation, which explores all aspects of this intriguing subject, and Allen B. Smith, a retired architect, local historian, trustee of the Queens Historical Society and a restorer of the Wyckoff-Snediker family cemetery in Woodhaven, that would be unfortunate, because its 128 pages are packed with information, not only about the founding and history of the first rural cemetery in Greater New York to be organized under the Rural Cemetery Act of 1847, but also about the meaning of every tree and plant, and the import of every statue and symbol found on the tombstones and monuments that adorn Cypress Hills’ 209 rolling acres that even today command magnificent views of Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

While Cypress Hills Cemetery’s main entrance, and hence its post office address, is in Brooklyn, at 833 Jamaica Ave., most of the cemetery proper lies in adjoining Glendale in Queens, and that borough proudly claims it. In seven chapters, Inception and Development, Magnificent Man-Made Monuments, Mysterious Markings and Secret Symbols, Names That Echo from the Past, Memorials and Honors Earned, Fellowship and Immortality and Today and Tomorrow, Duer and Smith tell the story of how the cemetery grew with the borough, expanding to hold a 3.5-acre National Cemetery section with the graves of 7,000 Union soldiers and 239 Confederate prisoners and an oak tree that stands as a living memorial to President James A. Garfield, shot July 2, 1881 and died September 19 of that same year. A Mount of Victory plot holds among others the grave of one Isaac Daniels, who fought in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Other notables whose remains rest in Cypress Hills include actress Mae West, musician Eubie Blake and Major League baseball player Jackie Robinson.

The first person interred in Cypress Hills shortly after it opened was one David Corey, died Dec. 9, 1848, aged 11 months and 11 days. Many other children’s graves dot the landscape, some succumbing to the infectious diseases that raged for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and others who died by other means, including Gavin Cato, whose death in a car accident brought about the Crown Heights riots of 1991 and Nixmary Brown, beaten to death by her stepfather in 2006 after years of abuse at his hands and those of her mother.

Duer and Smith explain why cypress trees are a favorite of cemetery landscapers and that oak trees in cemeteries “stand for life everlasting and can symbolize power, authority and victory” while weeping willows indicate sadness, grief and perpetual mourning. Chapter Three, Mysterious Markings and Secret Symbols, is a mustread for anyone who has ever wondered about the significance of the carpenter’s square and compass of the Freemasons, chains with broken links, hands pointing upward and palm branches, the last named appearing on Christian and Jewish graves, among many other symbols of lives lived and the hopes for the deceased expressed in stone by those they left behind. Cypress Hills also holds two buildings known as Abbeys that hold crypts, and a number of mausoleums. Duer and Smith include an explanation of the derivation of the word “mausoleum” that is well worth perusing the book to discover.

Cypress Hills Cemetery has moved into the new century with many of the problems facing burial grounds everywhere, especially the deterioration of many of the oldest markers and increasingly crowded space. It has addressed several of these with new sections holding graves marked by in-ground bronze markers and young trees planted along the cemetery’s drives and avenues with silver plaques denoting to whom they are dedicated. Sitting benches can be dedicated to a deceased loved one and the cemetery has invested considerable time and funds in sculpture and ornamental art.


Cypress Hills Cemetery is an entertaining and informative read. Aside from getting the name of the local architect who designed the cemetery’s third administration building incorrect (it’s Gerald Caliendo), and the fact that, like many of the other books in the Arcadia Publishing Images of America series, the subject matter truly demands an index, the book is a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in local history, especially that of Queens.

Man Arrested in Queens Subway Killing by Andy Newman - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

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A 19-year-old has been arrested and charged with murder in the Friday night stabbing of a man attacked by a group of people inside an elevated subway station in Queens, the police said.

The suspect, Benjamin Moreira of Elbertson Street in Elmhurst, is believed to have stabbed the victim, Dario Paiva, law enforcement officials said. Mr. Moreira was also charged with criminal weapon possession, the police said.

It was not immediately clear if the authorities were still seeking other people in the attack; the police said Saturday that there were as many as four men and two women involved. The police have not identified a motive in the case.

Mr. Paiva, 27, a construction worker and nursing student, had run from his house in Woodhaven around 11:30 p.m. Friday to help his younger brother, who was being beaten outside a video store on Jamaica Avenue near 85th Street, his mother said.

Mr. Paiva chased his brother’s attackers and caught up with them on the eastbound platform of the elevated 85th Street-Forest Parkway Station on the J line. He was stabbed in the throat and died soon after, the police said. His brother Khristian Paiva, 19, was not seriously injured.

Al Baker contributed reporting.

Rep Weiner Issues Correction - www.qgazette.com - Queens Gazette

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Congressmember Anthony Weiner has advised that the report issued by his office on vacant storefronts in Queens, which was released on Monday, July 19, and was reported on Page 1 of the Gazette of July 21, 2010 (“Biz Strip Vacancies”), mislabeled one of the neighborhoods his staff surveyed.

While the streets surveyed were correct, the neighborhood designation for Jamaica Avenue was imprecise. Since Woodhaven begins west of 98th Street, and only about 22 percent of the street was in this area, it should have been labeled "Richmond Hill/Woodhaven”, Weiner said in a statement.

Ugly J Train El Finally Slated for Much-Needed Facelift Says MTA by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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The long-neglected J train el, which casts a gloomy shadow over Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven and Richmond Hill, is slated to get a facelift next year.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials told City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley on Wednesday that part of the span will be repaired and painted forest green, Crowley said.

The underside of the tracks is currently marred by chipped paint as well as dirt and grease that have accumulated over decades. Residents and merchants alike have griped that the elevated tracks are an eyesore that hurts the lively shopping strip.

"I'm just thrilled," said Maria Thompson of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp. "It will be such a psychological lift. We're so tired of bolts falling from it, and the rust and how embarrassing it looks."

The 30-month project, tentatively scheduled to start next year, would rehabilitate steel girders and paint almost 3 miles of the line between the Cypress Hills station and 130th St.

The work is expected to cost between $20 million and $30 million.

Crowley, along with Councilman Eric Ulrich, state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. and Assemblyman Mike Miller have been pressuring the MTA's New York City Transit to spruce up the unsightly structure.

"This renovation will not only serve as a vehicle for economic growth in the area but will create a safer environment for residents and shoppers," Crowley said.

Steve Esposito, who owns the Orthopedic Shoe Clinic on Jamaica Ave., said the announcement is good news for local store owners. "Anything that brightens up the neighborhood is always going to help," he said.

"We take care of our properties. They should have done this 10 years ago."

But Esposito said he won't celebrate until he sees the work actually being done.

"We've been promised this before," he said

Queens Nabes Burning with Anger Over Mayor’s Fire Cuts by Holly Tsang - Queens Ledger

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The release of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed budget last week had many Queens residents smoking mad when they learned that the mayor’s proposal to cut 20 firehouses would likely become reality.

“If the firehouse isn’t here, who’s going to save people?” asked Sunnyside resident Paul Maringelli as he stood in front of Hook and Ladder 116 in Long Island City on May 7 to rally against the proposed closings. “What, we’re going to send people from Manhattan or Astoria? Those couple of minutes could mean a lot.”

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer scolded the mayor for even considering downsizing the city’s first line of defense against fires.

“The city has already closed our Engine Company [261],” said Van Bramer, “Hook and Ladder 116 must remain open in order to continue protecting all of our residents.”

The FDNY actually has not identified which fire companies would close if the budget passes, but it seems that every one is fair game. The City Charter requires the FDNY to give a community 45 days’notice prior to a company’s closure.

Leroy McGuinness, Queens Trustee of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, estimated that at least three or four closings will be in Queens. He pointed out that in the month of April alone, Queens had seven multiple-alarm fires (a second alarm fire, he said, has 20 fire companies responding).

Councilman Dan Halloran, who sits on the Fire and Criminal Justice committee, in a phone interview this week also brought up the issue of the city cutting crews from five firefighters to four firefighters at the busiest engine companies.

"The argument is that other cities only use four crew members," said Halloran. "But we're not like other cities, we are a city of 8.5 million people. We don't operate like other cities."

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, chair of the Fire & Criminal Justice Committee, said that the mayor recently found $100 million in the budget for security services.

“The fire department is our security services,” said Crowley, “so it doesn’t make any sense why he wants to take our security services away.” She added, “we cannot stop until every fire company that’s in jeopardy of closing stays open.”

Crowley noted that last year, for the first time in city history, the City Council was forced to use discretionary funds to keep 16 firehouses from closing. Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. added that even if the council proposed to use discretionary funds, there is no guarantee the mayor will use them.

Maringelli noticed that there have been a lot of fires in Queens lately. He’s not surprised, however, because there are so many people packed together in the borough.

“In Queens, you’ve got businesses, factories, private homes, apartment buildings, office buildings,” said Maringelli. “You name it, Queens has it. There’s always a risk.”

Days later, to emphasize their point, elected officials took to the streets of Richmond Hill, marching along Jamaica Avenue in a rally against the cuts. More rallies are sure to follow as budget negotiations continue.

Schmidt's Candy in Woodhaven...The Sweet Lowdown by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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A visit to Schmidt's Candies in Woodhaven can be an exercise in self-restraint for anyone with even half a sweet-tooth.

There are large glass jars full of colorful jelly beans, licorice, gummy bears and fruit slices.

Old-fashioned wooden display cases at the store, on Jamaica Ave., hold trays of hand-dipped chocolates filled with fruits, nuts, jellies and marshmallows.

Visitors get a warm greeting from Margie Schmidt, whose grandfather, Frank, opened the store more than 80 years ago. Chances are she'll be dressed in work clothes decorated with splatters of chocolate.

Schmidt is in the middle of her busiest season, which stretches from Valentine's Day to Easter. Customers drop in, call or place orders on the store's Web site www.schmidtscandy.com.

But there are no machines to boost production in this mini chocolate factory. Schmidt herself, along with a small band of helpers, melts and hand-dips the chocolates.

They are placed on wooden drying racks that she estimates are almost 80 years old. "They work," she said. "Almost everything here is original."

In the basement, Schmidt makes customer favorites like butter-crunch and ribbon candy on marble-topped tables that her grandfather, better known as "Boss," used.

"We all worked here as kids," said Schmidt, who took over the business from her father - also named Frank - in the 1980s. "But, at the beginning, all I was allowed to do was clip and unclip the molds."

Those molds, some of which date back to the 1920s and 1930s, are key to shop's intricately-decorated chocolate bunnies, eggs, kewpie dolls and others.

"Look at that detail," Schmidt said, after opening up a Easter lamb mold that hours ago had been filled with gooey molten chocolate. "Isn't that beautiful?"

Poof! Parking Takes a Toll on Residents, Local Businesses as Spots Vanish in Woodhaven by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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Deli owner Mark Gallagher shows several tickets he’s received for parking in unmetered area near his Jamaica Ave. business. Farriella for News

Woodhaven has many qualities of a small town: People know their neighbors, have lived in their homes for decades and can tell you exactly where to shop.

When it comes to parking, however, the 1-square-mile neighborhood has some big-city problems.

Shoppers, merchants and residents jockey for spots along Jamaica Ave. and its side streets. Even residential blocks aren't immune from chronic parking shortages, worsened by outdated rules and patchwork enforcement that also plague other areas highlighted in the Queens Parking Crunch series.

More and more, homeowners are turning their front yards into parking spaces. The curb cuts they create take away even more spots on the crowded streets.

"There are too many cars in a small area," said Rose Palmeiri, 70, who has lived in Woodhaven for 50 years. "My husband rents a garage because there is just no parking. Years ago it was not like this."

Some residents say part of the problem stems from a surge in the number of illegal conversions. Homes originally built for one or two families now house even more.

Others say the neighborhood is flooded with cars that have out-of-state license plates and can clog up spots for weeks at a time.

The Woodhaven Residents Block Association recently vowed to track down owners of these cars and send them a warning. If that doesn't work, they plan to contact the state's Motor Vehicles Department.

"My house was built in 1919," said Vance Barbour, 51, who moved to Woodhaven 23 years ago. "It wasn't meant to be for people with multiple cars per family."

He rents a garage down the block, but that doesn't always help.

"If people don't find a spot by the end of the night, they park in the driveway of my rented garage," he said.

Barbour said the city should crack down on people who build curb cuts in front of their homes.

"That just takes away a street spot," he said.

Maria Thomson of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp. said the situation worsened after the city changed parking meter fees. Instead of 30 minutes, a quarter now only pays for 20 minutes of parking.

Merchants say the parking crunch has hurt their businesses that are already suffering in a tough economy. And they are irritated that the city looks to traffic tickets as an important source of revenue.

"If shoppers can't park, they won't go to local stores," said Mark Gallagher, owner of the Manor Deli at 94-12 Jamaica Ave. "They will just go to Stop and Shop and Trader Joe's because they have parking lots."

He also noticed more homeowners removing shrubs and fences from their front yards to create a parking spot.

As Gallagher spoke about the parking situation one day last week, a traffic agent walked up and down the street in front of his shop as people rushed in for lunch orders.

Margie Schmidt, who operates the popular Schmidt's Candy store across the street, agreed that traffic agents tend to prey on customers.

"When people come in here, I always remind them about the meters," she said.

While there are no current plans to install muni-meters along Jamaica Ave., nearby Woodhaven Blvd. is part of the Transportation Department's Citywide Congested Corridors study, an agency official said.

The agency is collecting data on traffic, transit services and parking issues along Woodhaven Blvd. from Queens Blvd. to Rockaway Blvd. Lessons from the study could be applied to Jamaica Ave., officials added.

Relief can't come fast enough for some.

"My business is down 30%," Gallagher said. "Part of it is the recession but part of it is definitely the parking. It's a bad situation."

MTA Fails Woodhaven with Drastic Cuts by Lisa Fogarty - Queens Chronicle

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Here we go again.

For the second time in a year, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has announced drastic cuts that officials and residents say will cripple residents in Woodhaven and Richmond Hill.

In an effort to fill in a $334 million budget hole, the authority will sever both the W and Z trains, the latter of which runs from Jamaica to Manhattan, making four stops along Jamaica Avenue, and 24 bus routes, including the Q56 bus — which passes through Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven on its way to East New York, Brooklyn. The bus is known for transporting residents to Jamaica Hospital, the Woodhaven and downtown Jamaica business districts and several area schools.

Other debilitating MTA cuts include slashing MetroCard funding for students, limiting paratransit services that will only transport the elderly and handicapped to and from bus and subway stops and — in another classic case of déjà vu — eliminating the Rockaway rebate program.

“We fought this fight last year,” said Greater Woodhaven Development Corp. Executive Director Maria Thomson at an emergency press conference held Tuesday in the new Woodhaven offices of Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Glendale) and attended by Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village).

Thomson pointed out that the MTA’s plan to cut the Q56 hurts seniors who are unable to take the subway because of the steep, and often unkempt, staircase. “They [MTA] don’t know us and they don’t see it, but we’re going to make them see it — we’re going to fight.”

Ulrich called the decision a “direct slap in the face,” not only to children and seniors, but to the small businesses along Jamaica Avenue that rely on patrons who use public transportation. “When Jamaica Avenue fails, the entire community fails,” Ulrich said. “The MTA is saying to them: We don’t care about small businesses, children or senior citizens.”

Another MTA cutback, the reduction of Access-a-Ride service, which provides approximately 27,000 rides per day, will result in fewer seniors getting out and about to socialize and take advantage of vital programs, says Roseann Rosado, executive director of Queens Multi Service in Glendale, which provides services such as food stamps and Medicaid assistance. “We do not need our seniors and our disabled citizens home, isolated and alone,” Rosado said.

Although few seemed floored that the MTA had decided, yet again, to toy with Rockaway residents’ rebate program, which allows free passage on the Cross Bay Bridge, Lancman reminded conference attendees that, while negotiating its terms for a bailout last April, the rebate was one of the programs the MTA had promised to keep alive.

“MTA has lost credibility with state legislators and obviously with the public,” Lancman said. “All of us feel a great sense of betrayal that the services we fought for are back on the chopping block.”

Adding insult to injury, Ulrich said, families affected by the Department of Education’s phasing out of Broad Channel High School in the Rockaways face a double whammy — those students who may not get a seat at the new facility may have to pay tolls to get to school or full MetroCard fare.

“Public school education is supposed to be free,” he said.

Miller agreed: “An additional $89 a month for families to pay for a MetroCard — at that point they’re going to have to make a decision between sending them to school and putting food on the table.” He added, “We’re not going to take it; we’re going to fight.”

Q56, Q32 Buses Win Dubious Honor as Queens' Slowest by Philip Newman - YourNabe.com

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The Straphangers Campaign is out with its annual Pokey Awards for the city’s slowest buses and the Q56 and Q32 have won the laggard sweepstakes for Queens.

The transit advocacy group presented its eighth annual Pokey worst-in-show recognition to the M42, the transit system’s slowest bus, clocked at an average “speed” of 3.7 mph.

“A 5-year-old on a motorized tricycle would outpace the M42,” the Straphangers’ report said.

The Straphangers also presented a new citation, the Trekkie, in recognition of the bus with the longest running time. It went to the M4, which takes nearly two hours from midtown Manhattan to Upper Manhattan.

As for the Q56, it averages 6.3 mph to run from Jamaica to East New York in Brooklyn.

The Q32 chalks up a running time of one hour and 27 traveling from Jackson Heights and Penn Station.

Rufus King,Unsung Figure of American History, Helped Crusade End of Slavery - Nicholas Hirshon - NY Daily News

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The stately Jamaica manor of Rufus King, who helped frame the U.S. Constitution and voiced fiery, ahead-of-his-time appeals against slavery, ranks far down the list of the city's favored tourist sites.

His role in shaping the fledgling nation likely fell into obscurity because he never ascended to the presidency - and few historians explored his accomplishments in crucial yet unsung roles as senator and ambassador to Great Britain.

But a researcher who is combing through King's 2,200-title library - among the most extensive in early America - hopes findings about books he read and notes he took may someday vault him into the national spotlight.

"Right now, Rufus King would be considered a second-tier founding father," admitted David Gary, 31, who is exploring King's volumes for his doctoral dissertation. "My research is trying to make him a first-tier."

Scholar David Gary, who once gave tours of the Rufus King Mansion in Jamaica, stands in the library of the former New York senator and “second-tier” (for now) founding father Rufus King. Farriella for News

Gary, whose first job in 2002 included leading tours of King's Georgian estate at 151st St. and Jamaica Ave., has leafed through just parts of the statesman's mix of mostly law and travel tomes.

And yet, only months into his two-year project, Gary has uncovered pamphlets and newspaper clippings that document - for the first time - exactly how King studied to craft his unprecedented argument in 1820 that slavery was illegal.

Gary hopes that painting a fuller picture of King's vision to halt the spread of slavery - four decades before Abraham Lincoln was elected President - will foster greater public appreciation for King's place in history.

"He doesn't have a movie made about him or a documentary," said Kathy Forrestal, the education director at King Manor Museum. "His name isn't on Ken Burns' lips, but we think he should be."

King opposed slavery from the inception of his political career, helping pass the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that prohibited enslavement in a chunk of territory newly adopted by the Union.

During a Senate debate in 1820 that led to the Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as free, King boldly declared slavery was "contrary to the law of nature."

Beyond the rhetoric, though, little depth has accompanied accounts of King's anti-slavery stances. That's why Gary thinks it's valuable to know, for example, that King read natural-law advocates who asserted everyone is born free.

At the New-York Historical Society, where many of King's books were donated, Gary also discovered King had clipped a newspaper article that slammed Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, for owning slaves.

"It's a small thing, but it shows King's personal thoughts on the matter that we didn't know before," Gary said, adding he wants to raise King's profile to the level of Jefferson and John Adams.

Skeptics doubted Gary's research would immediately captivate the public and elevate King.

"It's not going to make the network news, but it's something scholars will take seriously," said Jeremy Dibbell of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

But King Manor Museum caretaker Roy Fox figured King, who died in 1827 and is buried blocks from his home at Grace Episcopal Church, will soon get his due.

"I get the feeling we're just getting started," Fox said. "There's a gem in history here to be polished and brought out."