Chief Promises Police Around Racino by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle: South Queens News

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As the September opening day for the Resorts World New York casino in South Ozone Park edges closer, nervous neighborhood residents concerned about their safety were assured by Patrol Borough Queens South Assistant Chief James Secreto that the police manpower necessary to protect them will be provided.

Secreto told the members of the 106th Precinct Community Council at their meeting last week that if top police officials don’t give him the additional officers he has requested, he will provide them from the borough’s resources.

“One way or another we are going to have cops there,” said Secreto.

Residents fear that the influx of an estimated 8.4 million people a year into the neighborhood will add traffic and increase the risk of crimes and quality of life issues. Some expressed concern that prostitutes may be drawn into the area.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) has also voiced the concerns of his constituents and recently asked for additional police officers for the 106th Precinct in advance of the casino’s opening.

“While the new racino is scheduled to open later this summer, many of my constituents are still concerned about the level of police protection the community will receive from the NYPD,” Ulrich wrote in a recent letter to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “Despite the fact that vehicular and foot traffic will increase, it still remains unclear if and when the local precinct will receive additional police personnel. Undoubtedly, more police officers will be needed to patrol the residential neighborhoods surrounding the facility.”

David Quintana of Ozone Park told Secreto that he saw a large contingent of police officers standing around the New York Stock Exchange building in Manhattan. He said that in light of the expected 30,000 visitors a day coming into the neighborhood surrounding the casino, “we could use some of those officers out here.”

On the noise abatement front, the precinct’s ongoing effort to quiet troublemakers resulted in the issuance of 26 noise summonses during the period from May 30 to June 5, according to Community Affairs officer Ken Zorn.

He added that 32 noise summonses were issued the week before.

A Lindenwood resident complained that cars are still speeding through area stop signs without stopping. Capt. Thomas Pascale told him officers would be made aware of this problem.

With the Fourth of July approaching, 106th Precinct police officers will be taking a zero-tolerance stance on fireworks use.

“For children’s safety and the safety of all residents, we are going to make sure that we prevent the discharge of fireworks,” said a police department official.

Fireworks burn at an extremely high temperature and can quickly burn through clothing and skin, causing serious injuries. Items such as sparklers are mistakenly thought to be safe, when even they can be very dangerous, the officers said, adding that fireworks should only be handled by trained professionals.

Pascale said that 40 additional police officers will be assigned to the precinct’s fireworks detail on July 4.

He also said that a police command post will be set up in front of the Starbucks store on Crossbay Boulevard.

Bill Aims to Save Shelter Animals by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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Queens organizations have thrown support behind state legislation that would permit rescue groups to recover animals that are scheduled to be killed at shelters, saying it would help to save many adoptable pets set to be euthanized in the borough and throughout the state.

State Assemblyman Micah Kellner (D-Manhattan) recently proposed the Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act, an identical version of which is being sponsored by state Sen. Joseph Robach (R-Rochester), which he said would allow groups to find homes for animals set to be killed. Current law only allows individuals, not groups, to save the animals.

“We wholeheartedly support Assemblyman Kellner’s bill,” said Nancy Fahnestock, treasurer of CSM Stray Foundation, a Kew Gardens-based animal protection group. “This would save so many adoptable animals that are now being euthanized. In addition it would put a checks and balance system to assure that shelters are humanely treating animals by allowing rescue groups open access in visitations to select animals for adoption. This is a great step in the right direction,”

Kellner said there are now tens of thousands of animals in shelters statewide, many of which are healthy and well behaved.

“Unfortunately, shelters oftentimes don’t have the room or resources to care for these or other animals,” Kellner said. “Even worse, current law does not protect or grant access to the qualified rescue groups that are working to save these loving and loyal animals.”

A statewide survey found that 71 percent of all New York rescue groups have been turned away by a shelter, which then killed the animals they offered to save.

“When a humane organization volunteers to take these animals, they should not be denied,” Kellner said.

The act also sets qualifications and guidelines for both shelters and rescue groups.

“Outlining the responsibilities of those who work directly with the animals will help ensure that the animals receive the proper care,” said Kellner. “These provisions ensure that animals are given fresh food and water on a daily basis, exercise and socialization with other animals, clean living environments and prompt veterinary care.”

To ensure compliance, routine inspections of the facilities would be mandated.

Kellner’s bill was named in memory of Oreo, a pit bull mix, who, in June, 2009 survived being thrown off a six-story building in Brooklyn, from which she suffered two broken legs, a cracked rib and severe internal injuries. Her owner was arrested on cruelty charges, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took her in and brought her back to good physical health.

But that November, the ASPCA announced that Oreo was untreatably aggressive and that she would be euthanized. A nonprofit animal rescue group, Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary, offered to take her in, but the request was refused and Oreo was put down. The ASPCA and the Humane Society have not taken a stance on this bill.

CAARA is supported by a number of animal welfare groups, including Best Friends Animal Society, Alley Cat Allies, the No-Kill Advocacy Center and the League of Humane Voters of New York.

Historic Woodhaven Church to Close by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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I attended St Matthews as a child and served as an acolyte under Father Lutz in the 1960's...And, my children and I helped with the cemetery clean up about 10 years ago...

Residents like Allan Smith, inset, are worried what will happen to the Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church’s building and cemetery after the site is sold. PHOTO BY ANNA GUSTAFSON

The impending closure of the beloved 111-year-old Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Woodhaven is sending shadows across a community whose residents worry the diocese could sell the site to someone with little reverence for the historical building and the cemetery behind it.

Saint Matthew’s, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, will hold its last service on May 22 at 3 p.m. Officials from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, which owns the church at 85-45 96th St., said they decided to shutter it because of a dwindling number of parishioners.

“The church has always been a staple in the community,” said Community Board 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey. “The cemetery has to remain there. They shouldn’t be selling it.”


Carey and Maria Thomson, president of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp., said they are concerned about what a new owner will do with the property.


“It’s so unfortunate they’ll sell the property,” Thomson said. “The church never said anything to the community about this situation.”


According to a message in the church’s May 8 service bulletin, the rector, the Rev. Tracey Williams, will continue to live on site until plans for the sale of the church are finalized. Diocese officials did not say when they expect to sell the church, nor to whom. They said the building will be deconsecrated during the last service.


“This action has been taken after many years of faithful ministry in the midst of a declining population and dwindling resources,” the Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, bishop of the Long Island diocese, wrote in a recent e-mail to supporters.


Several former parishioners said the decrease in population occurred following disputes with the church’s current rector. Williams did not respond to a request for comment.
John McGinty, the diocese’s director of communication, said it was “unclear” as to what will happen to the Wyckoff-Snediker Family Cemetery, which the church purchased from the city in the early 1960s and which was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.


The cemetery has about 160 individual gravestones denoting burials from 1793 to 1892.


Allan Smith, 73, a Woodhaven resident who was baptized in the church, grew up going there and worked for years to restore the cemetery, said he is distraught to see the end of an establishment that has played an instrumental role in his life.


“It’s probably the finest example of English Gothic architecture on Long Island and probably on the East Coast,” said Smith, a former architect who has conducted tireless research on the cemetery and the church but is no longer a member. “It has a bell tower and beautiful stained glass. It really is very special.”


Saint Matthew’s held its first service on Jan. 7, 1900 at a storefront rented on Jamaica Avenue near 91st Street.


It moved from that spot to a a small wooden church on 96th Street in 1901, and the cornerstone for the building that houses the congregation today was laid in 1927.The first service in the stone church was held on Dec 2, 1928.


“It is a sad day for such a beautiful church to close,” state Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said. “The many programs St. Matthew’s provided, like its food pantry, served the community for years and its loss will be felt by everyone. St. Matthew’s is a fixture in the Woodhaven community, and it will be impossible to replace.”

102nd Officer Honored for Nabbing 4 Suspects by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle -

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Community Council President Maria Thomson, Deputy Inspector Armando DeLeon and Officer Jeff Strauber at the precinct meeting last week. PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFON

Officer Jeff Strauber of the 102nd Precinct was honored with the Cop of the Month award at the community council meeting last Thursday for his arrest of four individuals who police say stole a cell phone from a young man.

Strauber was patrolling Jamaica Avenue near 130th Street in Richmond Hill on April 10 at 1:30 a.m. when he heard through the police radio transmission that four men had robbed a young man walking along the avenue.

Deputy Inspector Armando DeLeon, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, said the four individuals surrounded the victim and swiped his cell phone.

DeLeon said that Strauber canvassed the nearby area, where he spotted the suspects.

The commanding officer noted the thieves did not flee from Strauber when he approached them.

Strauber apprehended the alleged perpetrators, and no one was injured.

“That was great work by Officer Strauber,” said DeLeon.

Police said the suspects were all charged with armed robbery.

Shelter that Drew Ire Working with CB 10 by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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Officials at a South Ozone Park homeless shelter have been working with area residents to ensure their concerns about safety are heeded after the Skyway Family Center transitioned from hosting families to solely adult males, Community Board 10 members said.

“They have rearranged their security guard schedules so they mesh with the schedule of the nearby school,” CB 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said at the board’s meeting last Thursday.

Residents have been worried that security guards at the shelter located at 132-10 South Conduit Ave. would change shifts at the same time as PS 124’s dismissal time, potentially leaving the men unguarded at a time when many children were around the area.

Braton said there have been no problems reported between the men at the shelter and the students. Still, Councilman Ruben Wills (D-South Ozone Park) said the shelter’s close proximity to the school is worrisome.

“They have five registered sex offenders in a shelter a block away from a school,” Wills said.

After the community voiced concerns about the lack of security guards, shelter officials changed the schedules so there are always guards on duty when school is in session and during dismissal.

“They also said they will provide an outdoors space for residents so they don’t have to go into the neighborhood to hang out,” Braton said.

Community residents and legislators, particularly Wills, were irate after the city reclassified the shelter as a place only for adult males without seeking input from the board, the school or area residents.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeless Services said the move was necessary to accommodate an increase in the number of single males seeking spots at city shelters.

Liu: Queens Carousels Mismanaged by Vendor by Anna Gustafson -Queens Chronicle

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City officials have issued a Request for Proposal from vendors who want to run the Forest Park and Flushing Meadows carousels.FILE PHOTO

After an audit by city Comptroller John Liu found the company that ran the Forest Park carousel until 2008 wildly mismanaged it, community leaders are calling on a group that will take over the ride to honor its more than 100 years of history.


“I hope we get someone who will do the right thing for the carousel,” Community Board 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey said. “We really need to do something with that carousel. It’s such a wonderful piece of artwork, and it shouldn’t just be standing there.”

New York One operated the Forest Park merry-go-round until 2008, when the company let its contract lapse. The city has since issued three requests for proposals for a group to run the carousel, with the final RFP being issued last week by the Parks Department. No one submitted proposals in response to the first two RFPs, but city officials are hoping things will be different this time around because they are also asking interested parties to operate the Flushing Meadows Park carousel.


Liu said in an audit released last week that New York One, which currently manages the carousel in Flushing Meadows Park and ran another in Central Park, overcharged customers, maintained little to no records of its cash transactions and violated health codes.


“Our kids want to go for a spin on the merry-go-round, but taxpayers don’t want to be taken for a ride,” Liu said in a prepared statement. “This contractor needs to straighten itself out. The Parks Department needs to monitor the company to ensure taxpayers are getting their due or find someone who is up to the job.”
New York One did not answer requests for comment, though Liu’s office said the company disagreed with many of the audit’s findings.


According to the audit, the operator owes the city $454,325 for restoration and repairs that need to be made to the carousels at Forest and Central parks.
Auditors found the operator charged more than Parks Department guidelines for admissions, food and souvenirs at the Flushing Meadows site, and they said the operator should spend $110,000 on capital improvements on that carousel.


While the Forest Park and Flushing Meadows carousels did not have a makeshift toilet in the go-round’s mechanical room that used buckets and a funnel, as auditors said the one in Central Park did, there were a variety of health issues the report found at the two sites.
Liu’s office said food carts at the Forest Park and Flushing Meadows sites were not properly licensed by the Health Department, and auditors said the operator did not “maintain the three carousel’s pushcarts, snack bars and surrounding areas in a safe and sanitary manner.”


Built in 1903, the Forest Park carousel has some of the last surviving creations of master wood carver Daniel Carl Muller.


It contains 49 sculpted horses, a lion, a tiger, a deer and two chariots. There is also a carousel band organ.


There are just five city parks that operate carousels — Forest Park, Flushing Meadows, Central Park, Prospect Park in Brooklyn and Staten Island’s Willowbrook Park.


“It’s very bad that the Parks Department hasn't gotten it open again sooner,” said civic activist David Quintana. “It’s a true work of art. Those carousel horses were done by a master craftsman, and now it’s closed to the public.”


The Parks Department will give tours of the two Queens sites for interested vendors on April 27.


Proposals are due May 13.


Visit comptroller.nyc.gov/audits for Liu’s full report.

Liberty Avenue Stores Struggle to Survive by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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Mukesh Patel, left, and Joseph Bruno say the new traffic pattern and subway construction, inset, has deterred customers from frequenting their shops. Photo by Anna Gustafson

 

A city plan meant to curb accidents and prevent pedestrian deaths has instead left business owners struggling to survive on a commercial strip in Ozone Park that will soon be gasping for its last breath if the Department of Transportation does not make changes to the area, store owners and employees say.

“It’s affecting us so badly,” said Abdul Alawdi, owner of Fine Food Market and Deli at 93-10 Liberty Ave. “Three places have already gone out of business because of this. Who’s next? It’s going to be a ghost town here.”

The DOT in November made Liberty Avenue a one-way eastbound street between Crossbay Boulevard and 93rd Street as part of its plan to address congestion and injuries and deaths from accidents at the Liberty Avenue and Woodhaven, Crossbay, and Rockaway boulevards intersection.

DOT officials noted between 2004 and 2008 there were 207 injuries for pedestrians, bicyclists and individuals in motor vehicles at the Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue intersection between 94th and 96th streets.

Shop owners, however, said city officials need to figure out a way to change the intersection without settling for what has become a death sentence for stores in the area. A 99-cent store, laundromat and fast-food chicken restaurant have all gone out of business since the plan was implemented, and the shops that are left have seen a drastic drop in customers.

“How many more stores do they want to close?” asked David M. Quintana, a member of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association. “A major commercial strip can’t survive on a one-way street.”

Kalish Pharmacy, which has been in the neighborhood for 100 years, has experienced at least a 30 percent drop in business, according to pharmacist Joseph Bruno.

“Businesses are closing, people are out of work, it’s terrible,” Bruno said. “I grew up in Ozone Park, I have ties to this neighborhood, and I want to stay here.”

Ram Stationary and Cards owner Mukesh Patel said his business has dropped about 50 percent, and Alawdi said he has seen a decrease of about 40 to 45 percent.

“Business has gone down unbearably,” said Patel, who has owned his stationary store for the past 21 years. “We’re losing $600, $700 a day. It’s a terrible situation.”

On top of the one-way street, business owners have had to deal with reconstruction on the subway stairs leading to the A-line, which has temporarily closed off the entrance to Liberty Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard.

Shop owners and employees said they would like the DOT to make Liberty a two-way street again. That, Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said, is unlikely, but she did note that the DOT reversed its decision and said it will remove the back-in angled parking spaces on Liberty between Crossbay and 93rd Street after business owners complained they was too difficult for customers to use.

“We’re looking at that whole intersection and all the ramifications, and we’re engaged in ongoing discussions with DOT to see if there are further modifications that can be done,” Braton said.

DOT spokeswoman Nicole Garcia said the agency is incorporating community input to develop further plans for the area.

“Safety is our top priority, and the project implemented in this area is designed to boost safety for all street users,” Garcia said in an e-mailed statement.

Kimberly Liverpool, manager at Tommy’s Pizzeria, said she hopes the city seriously considers input from shop owners, especially since her store is losing about $200 to $300 a day because of the traffic change.

“Customers don’t even come this way anymore,” Liverpool said. “Even on a Friday and Saturday it’s horrible. I had four people working here, and now I’m down to two.”

Terranova Bakery manager Maria Monzon said her daily average customer count has dropped from about 200 to 150.

Car Thief Surprised by Child in Backseat by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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A man who stole a car idling near this deli was shocked to find a child in the back seat, police said. PHOTO BY ANNA GUSTAFSON

A car thief who jumped into an idling car outside a bodega in South Ozone Park last week got the surprise of his life when he discovered a 9-year-old boy sitting in the back seat, police said.

The boy’s father, Robert Collins, 53, of South Richmond Hill, had allegedly left his son, Omar, in his four-door red Honda Accord while he popped into the mini market at the corner of 109th Avenue and the Van Wyck Expressway around 7:45 a.m. last Friday, according to police.

When Collins returned, he found that his car and his son were gone.

Luckily, however, he had left his cell phone in the car, which he quickly dialed.

When the phone rang the thief allegedly told the youngster, “Tell him everything is OK, and I’m going to drop you and the car off.”

The man told the child his father could find him at 231st Street and Conduit Avenue, police said.

The youngster described the perpetrator to police as a black man in his 30s with a medium build, a thin beard, black coat and black hat. He remains at large.

Police found the car about 15 minutes after it was taken at the Laurelton intersection specified by the thief. The child was found in the car unharmed.

A police official told the Wall Street Journal that the father could be charged with several offenses for leaving his son in a running vehicle, but it was unlikely that he would be. When the NYPD was contacted by the Queens Chronicle, this could not be confirmed.

Canine units brought to the scene to locate the suspect followed a scent to a vacant house on Lansing Avenue, but from there the trail went cold, police said.

Officers dusted the Honda for prints are reportedly studying surveillance video to try and identify the alleged car jacker.

Man Who Burned Girlfriend Sentenced to Prison: DA by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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An Ozone Park man who pleaded guilty to brutally attacking his girlfriend with a hot iron and slicing her with a razor blade in the same room where their children slept was sentenced to 13 years in prison, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Eric Persaud, 36, also made more than 400 phones calls from Rikers Island in an attempt to stop his 27-year-old girlfriend from testifying against him at trial, Brown said.

“His actions were both cruel and sadistic,” Brown said in a prepared statement.

Persaud’s attorney, Judah Maltz, said he had no comment on the sentence handed down by Queens Supreme Court Judge Gregory Lasak on March 16.

According to the charges, Persaud began an argument on April 30, 2009 with his live-in girlfriend, the mother of his two children, over her having called the police a week prior regarding an incident in which he broke her computer and smashed her home phone. During the argument, Persaud held a knife to the woman’s throat and told her if she called the police again he would kill her or their children, according to the charges.

He then led her into the bedroom and told her he would have to scar her for calling the police, Brown said.

Persaud proceeded to tell her to plug in an iron and burn her face with it, the DA said. When his girlfriend refused, Persaud told her he would burn her face and if she screamed and woke the children, who were sleeping in the bedroom, he would scald them too, according to the charges.

After being forced to kneel on the ground, Persaud forced a towel into her mouth and placed the iron on both cheeks three times and used a razor to slash her face twice, Brown said.

The woman was hospitalized for 11 days following the attack, the DA said.

NYPD was Insensitive at Parade - Organizer by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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The Phagwah parade has drawn thousands of people to Richmond Hill to celebrate the Hindu holiday Holi for more than two decades, and organizers wanted the event to basically be the same as it always has been — crowds of people dancing, singing and, what is often the trademark of the event, throwing colorful powder.

But this year, some involved in Sunday’s parade said some of the police who were not from the 106th and 102nd precincts were culturally insensitive and aggressively took powder from individuals, including from women’s purses.

More than 25,000 people came to Richmond Hill last weekend to celebrate Holi, a religious holiday celebrated to mark the coming of spring. Celebrations are held across the world, most of which include participants throwing colorful powders at each other.


“The NYPD brought police from all over who had no idea about this parade, what it is, and they could be very insensitive to the nuances of the parade and the culture,” said Roy Singh, a parade organizer. “They went into ladies’ pocketbooks on the floats. They were very belligerent in seizing the powder. They even pushed people aside to get onto the floats.”


Singh emphasized they had no problems with officers from the local 106th and 102nd precincts, but with officers who did not know the area. He said of the approximate 100 officers there, there were about 28 from the 106th and 102nd precincts.


A police spokeswoman said they were both following a city law that was implemented after the anthrax scare in 2001 that does not allow individuals to use powder along parade routes and working to accommodate parade organizers, who she said had requested that police ensure parade goers did not throw powder along the route. Police did allow individuals to throw the colorful dye at the Smokey Oval Park in Richmond Hill.


One week after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, letters containing anthrax were mailed to two U.S. Senators and a number of news media offices, which killed five people.


The NYPD spokeswoman noted there were no summonses or arrests in relation to the confiscation of powder on Sunday.


Police from the 106th and 102nd precincts, which have been monitoring the parade for years, said they had a good time at the event.


“I thought the organizers did a great job, and I had a great time,” said Officer Ken Zorn of the 106th Precinct.


Vishnu Mahadeo, president of the Richmond Hill Economic Development Council, agreed the police were too aggressive in confiscating the powder.


“When you take away the powder, it’s like having Christmas without a Christmas tree,” Mahadeo said. “The police took the key element out.”


Mahadeo said police took powder, confetti and perfume away from him, his wife and his 12-year-old child as they walked toward the parade route but were not on the route itself. He said hundreds of bags were confiscated. Police could not verify how much was taken.
“This is not an acceptable practice,” Mahadeo said. “This is a part of our culture and an intrusion into our culture and customs.”


Mahadeo said he and others are considering legal action against the police.


“This community is becoming very conscious, it’s no longer a first-generation immigrant community,” he said. “We’re second-, third-generation Americans, and it’s sad we’re being treated in this type of disrespectful manner.”


Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said he was looking into what happened at the parade.


“We’re disappointed because this is a celebration of their culture and traditions, and we’re still trying to talk to police about why it was confiscated and how we can move forward so that in the future they can have their celebration without being worried.”


Singh said organizers have aired their concerns to the NYPD, and he said police have asked them to draft a document about the holiday for them to disseminate to officers in the future.


“The 106th and 102nd police already understand us, but it’s the other police that we want to give this to,” Singh said of the document.

BREAKING NEWS: Ozone Park Shooting Sends One to Hospital; Cops by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle -

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One man was sent to the hospital after a man opened fire on a car on Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park, police said.

Three men were involved in a midday shooting Friday on a busy street packed with pedestrians, sending one elderly person to the hospital and leaving residents shaking, police said.

“I was right next to the man when he started shooting,” said a delivery woman who was unloading goods from her Little Debbie truck outside of C-Town at the intersection of Cross Bay Boulevard and Sutter Avenue when the shots rang out around 12 p.m. “I was so close I saw the smoke from the gun. I was just hoping he wouldn’t turn around and shoot me.”

The shooter, who was described as a man in his early 30s, fired five shots at a car by the intersection of Cross Bay and Sutter, according to the witness. The man in the car was reportedly not hurt, but an elderly man across the street was shot in the hand, police said.

The bystander was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was in stable condition Friday afternoon, police said.

The shooter and the two men with him, also described as being in their 30s, fled the scene by foot on Sutter Avenue, the witness said. Police said they have not made any arrests.

“I heard one of the guys ask another guy, ‘Is that him? Is that him?’” said the Little Debbie employee, who did not want to give her name for fear of retaliation. “When he says yeah, the guy pulls out a revolver and starts shooting, right there in broad daylight on Cross Bay.”

Other residents who did not witness the shooting but heard about it said they felt nervous allowing their children to walk around the area.

“You think you’re safe when it’s the middle of the day and you’re in a busy place,” said Roberta, a mother of two who did not want to give her last name. “I just want to get my kids in the house and stay there.”

Dominick's Dishes Top Dogs - #1 Say Boro Residents by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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Dominick’s Hot Dogs truck is a popular borough dining destination.PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFON

There were a dozen customers waiting in line last Saturday afternoon at Dominick’s Hot Dogs truck on Woodhaven Boulevard and 65th Road to bite into what many consider the Big Apple’s best frank.

Dominick’s blue and silver truck has been a fixture on Woodhaven in the Rego Park-Middle Village area for 51 years, and draws customers from all five boroughs as well as the suburbs, New Jersey and Connecticut. The family business is even older than that.

Claire, a Woodhaven resident, rated the dogs “the best” and “wonderful.”

“Very good,” added Ann-Marie of Forest Hills. Debbie of Elmhurst said they were “delicious.”

Tim of Woodside, who has been eating Dominick’s dogs for 17 years, brought his family to the truck and ordered six with the works. Tim said they made a special trip just for the franks.

Munching on three with mustard, sauerkraut and onions, Don of East Elmhurst boasted that Dominick’s served “the greatest hot dog in the city.” He said that his son came with him all the way from Park Slope and was enjoying his two franks in the car.

The Daily News last month concurred with Don, naming Dominick’s the city’s top dog, beating out such staples as Nathan’s in Coney Island.

“Delish,” was how Ozone Park resident Mary-Ann rated her two hot dogs with no extras. However, she did add an orange soda to go with them. She said she was looking forward all day to eating them. “Just in the mood,” she said.

Jennifer, who teaches at Queens College and lives in Maspeth, called the hot dogs “awesome,” and said she likes her franks with mustard, ketchup, onions and sauerkraut.

Dominick’s owner Angelina D’Angelo serves the classic skinless New York Sabrett frank for $2.75, to which you can add their spicy mustard free of charge or splurge for their homemade onions or freshly steamed sauerkraut.

Angelina has even presided over an episode of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” challenging world-class chefs to a hot dog cook-off. No contest, as Angelina’s held their own.

The D’Angelo family also operates D’Angelo Sausages just a block south on Woodhaven. They offer the familiar Italian sausage heroes with peppers and onions for $7 in bread which is picked up from Rosamarie Italian Bakery in Ozone Park every morning.

For more than half a century, family members have used the same manual slicer for the vegetables. Gary D’Angelo, Angelina’s husband, buys his sausages from a butcher, but he declined to say more about what makes them taste so good.

D’Angelos Italian Sausage truck originated more than 70 years ago, when Gary D’Angelo’s grandfather operated a truck in Little Italy’s San Gennaro Festival. His father brought the business shortly after to Woodhaven Boulevard where it has remained ever since.

In addition to attracting long-time regulars, Sammy Hagar, former lead singer of Van Halen, has stopped by the stand.

With the success of his hot dog and sausage trucks, Gary D’Angelo said he is looking forward to putting another sausage and pepper place on the street, sometime in mid-summer.

D’Angelo also mentioned he was thinking of setting up a mobile shop selling chicken heroes and Philly cheesesteaks.

“I might try it,” he said.

Cops Who Nabbed Burglar Honored by 102 Precinct Community Council by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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102nd Precinct Community Council President Maria Thomson, left, Precinct Executive Officer Capt. Martin Briffa, and police officers Jose Severino and Ashana Kelly at the meeting.PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFON

Two 102nd Precinct police officers who captured an alleged burglar reportedly responsible for a string of thefts throughout the community were awarded with the Cop of the Month award last week.

Officers Jose Severino and Ashana Kelly were honored at the 102nd Precinct Community Council’s meeting, during which Precinct Executive Officer Capt. Martin Briffa and Precinct Community Council President Maria Thomson presented the two individuals with the award for January.

Briffa said police received a 911 call on Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. about a suspicious individual knocking on a door at an apartment building in the vicinity of 126th Street and 86th Avenue in Richmond Hill.

After the individual received no response at the door, he allegedly went around the building and climbed up the fire escape to enter the resident’s apartment, Briffa said.

The captain said officers Saverino and Kelly responded to the location and set up a perimeter at the front and rear of the building.When they heard noise inside the apartment, they entered and captured the suspect, according to Briffa.

Police believe they will be able to close 17 open burglary cases thanks to the arrest because the defendant allegedly committed that many, Briffa said.

Police noted the perpetrator in the other 17 cases had used the fire escape to enter the building, as the individual arrested by Savarino and Kelly had done.

Four burglaries were reported in the 102nd Precinct during the week ending Feb. 6, according to city crime statistics.

Relay for Life Keeps Growing in Queens by Liz Rhodes -Queens Chronicle

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Birthday and pajama parties, a luau and celebrating superheroes are just some of the themes this year in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life events throughout the borough.

And this year there are even more event locations in Queens, with a total of 12 sites. The earliest noncompetitive relay starts April 9 and the last one is on June 25.

Although totals were not available from last year’s programs in the borough, the ACS is hoping the events can raise $1 million in 2011, according to Suzanne Isbell, manager of special events for the ACS’s Queens office.

“We are very proud of how our relays do and would like to have as many teams as possible,” Isbell said. “What better time than now to celebrate those who were able to defeat this disease, remember those who were overcome by it and fight back for anyone who has ever had to hear those three devastating words, ‘you have cancer.’”

Relay for Life began in 1986 in the State of Washington and has gone on to become a popular national fund-raising venue for the cancer society, which considers it “a unique celebration of life.” It is usually an overnight event where teams of eight to 15 people take turns walking or running around tracks. Teams collect money prior to the relay in various ways, including car washes and personal solicitations.

Each location has its own theme and there is a festive atmosphere as team members camp out and enjoy food, music and entertainment. The first lap is reserved for cancer survivors and when it gets dark, there is a luminaria candle ceremony for those who have been affected by cancer.

Money raised goes for research, education, advocacy and services. In Queens, services can include accessing a wig, temporary recovery space and counseling and family support.

By 2015, the ACS hopes to prevent almost 5 million additional deaths from cancer, avoid 6 million new cancer diagnoses and continue to improve the quality of life for disease sufferers.

The borough’s second oldest and one of its most successful relays is held in Middle Village at Juniper Valley Park. It began nine years ago and last year volunteers raised $152,000. Maria Vega of Glendale has participated in the last five events and has her own team filled with family members.

“The Middle Village relay is so successful because it’s a great community taking in Maspeth, Glendale and Ridgewood,” Vega said. “People come together for a great cause.”

Last year 500 participants spent the night at Juniper Valley Park and a total of 1,000 attended the event. Vega is hoping for even higher numbers this year.

Middle Village’s theme is a pajama party and participants are expected to dress up accordingly.

A cancer survivor due to early detection, Vega has been involved with the relay for six years. “My husband and I have no children and I don’t work, so I have time to volunteer,” she said.

James Thompson is a relative newcomer to Queens, having moved to Astoria three months ago. He is now the co-chairman of the Astoria Relay for Life. “What better way to learn about the community and meet people,” Thompson said. “I love it here.”

Thompson, a real estate attorney who hails from Staten Island, ran the Baruch College Relay for Life several years ago and found it a great experience. He is hoping for the same in Astoria.

Mary Modica of Bayside is a volunteer at the cancer society office in Kew Gardens who participated in Fort Totten relays a few times. This year, the former Cunningham Park event is merging with the one at Fort Totten.

“It’s a similar area and we wanted to grow the event,” said Modica, a retired school principal. “The location at Fort Totten is perfect.”

A born organizer, Modica has already gotten the FDNY, which has a facility at the fort, to form a team and is also involving area students.

“I am handing out fliers and seeking volunteers,” she said. “I want to make it one of the most successful ones in Queens.”

That distinction goes to the Howard Beach event which raised $165,000 last year. Phyllis Inserillo is its co-chairwoman.

Her best friend is a cancer survivor and she likes the message of the cancer society. “We have a small but mighty committee of 10 with more than 700 in the relay,” Inserillo said.

The mother of two young children, she is also a professional party planner. Her motto for the relay is “Don’t stop trying.”

She advises others interested in starting similar events elsewhere: “Don’t give up about involving people. I got the Department of Education involved this year. I keep calling and don’t take no for an answer.”

The Howard Beach theme this year is luau and Inserillo has already gotten a company to donate hula dancers as part of the program’s entertainment. “We thought it was a fun and summery theme,” she said.



To register, participate or for further information, log onto relayforlife.org or call the Queens office at (718) 261-1092.

Relay for Life locations in Queens:

Astoria at Astoria Park on June 25-26. The theme is More Birthdays. Contact: relayforlife.org/astoriany Alley Pond Park on June 11-12. The theme is Television and Movies. Contact: relayforlife.org/alleypondnyBark for Life at Forest Park in Woodhaven on April 30. Bring you pet to this new one-day event. Contact: relayforlife.org/barkforlifequeens College Point at MacNeil Park on May 21-22. The theme is Pajama Party. Contact: relayforlife.org/collegepointny Delta Air Lines at JFK on May 12. A new relay inside the terminal for airline employees and others. One-day event only. Details are still being worked out. Flushing, a new event at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park; a one-day program on June 4. Previous events have been held at Shea Stadium and Citi Field. It was last at the tennis center in 2009. The theme is More Birthdays.Contact: relayforlife.org/ntcny Fort Totten in Bayside on June 4-5. The theme is More Birthdays. First year merged with Cunningham Park. Contact: relayforlife.org/forttottenny Howard Beach at Frank M. Charles Memorial Park on June 11-12. The theme this year is Luau. Contact: relayforlife.org/howardbeachny Jamaica at Roy Wilkins Park on June 25-26. There hasn’t been an event here since 2008 and this year it will run for the full overnight session. The theme is Mardi Gras. Contact: relayforlife.org/jamaicany Middle Village at Juniper Valley Park on June 25-26. Always a well-attended event. The theme is Pajama Party. Contact: relayforlife.org/middlevillageny Riis Park in the Rockaways on June 11-12. This is the oldest relay program, having been started 11 years ago. The theme is More Birthdays. Contact: relayforlife.org/riisparkny St. John’s University on the Jamaica campus on April 9-10 in the Lou Carnessecca Arena. The theme is Superheroes. You don’t have to be a student or alumni member to participate. Contact: relayforlife.org/stjohnsuniversityny

Aqueduct Firm Hires Ozone Park Groups by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle -

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The general contractor for the new Aqueduct racino in South Ozone Park awarded three construction bids totaling more than $51 million to groups from Ozone Park, Resort World New York said this week.

“Queens needs revenue, and for this reason, we are fully committed to awarding construction bids to as many local businesses as possible,” Michael Speller, president of Resorts World New York, said in a prepared statement. “This casino will fill two crucial needs. Not only will Resorts World New York create a tremendous facility that will generate considerable revenue for Ozone Park, New York City and New York state, but the casino will also help revitalize and ultimately stabilize Queens’ businesses and economy.”

Speller said they have focused on hiring locally, including bringing jobs to businesses owned by minorities and women, to build what is now known as the Resorts World New York racetrack casino.

Tutor Perini, the general contractor, awarded a $25.1 million contract to WDF Inc. to provide heating, ventilation and air-conditoning work; a $19.2 million contract to Five Star Electric; and $6.8 million to WDF for plumbing.

“We are just so excited that Resorts World New York is following through on its promises to Ozone Park businesses,” said Larry Roman, chairman and CEO of WDF Inc. “At at time when Queens so desperately needs revenue, it is a blessing to have such a great project for so many of our local businesses to work on. Ozone Park is home to some of the finest construction businesses in the world, and for that reason I have no doubt that Resorts World New York is going to be a first-class facility that will benefit the entire region.”

The announcement comes about a week after Tutor Perini announced that more than one-third of their subcontractors are certified as a Minority or Women Owned Business Enterprise.

Tutor Perini has so far awarded $135 million to subcontractors in the greater New York City area.

The gaming facility at the race track, the city’s first casino slated to open its doors this summer, is expected to employ more than 900 people and generate at least $300 million in annual state revenue, according to officials with franchise operator Genting New York.

There are more than several hundred people now working at the site. The first phase of the three-stage project will include 1,600 video lottery terminals and a central bar.

Forest Park Senior Center Faces Closure by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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The proposed state budget cuts to senior services could force the Forest Park Senior Center to shutter its doors for good, leaving older residents from throughout southern Queens without a place many said gives them a reason to get up in the morning.


“It’s very dismal,” said Donna Caltabiano, executive director of the center located at 89-02 91 St. in Woodhaven. “We’re looking at closing in June.”

Forest Park Senior Center, which relies primarily on funding the borough president’s office typically gets through the state, is one of about 110 centers city officials said could close if state legislators approve Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget.


Cuomo has called for about $25 million to be carved from monies usually allocated for the city’s senior centers, which represents about one-third of the city’s funding for the programs, according to officials from the city Department for the Aging.


“Any senior center that gets state and city funding has to be concerned at this point,” said state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “Forest Park is a snapshot of other centers who will find themselves in dire circumstances.”


Addabbo said he is pressuring state officials to cut elsewhere and restore funding for seniors.


“I don’t care if a center has 300 or three people,” Addabbo said. “That center is needed, certainly in these tough times.”


Seniors gathered for lunch and to play their daily round of bingo at Forest Park on Tuesday said news about the potential closure was devastating.


“It really keeps us alive to come here,” said Anna Luongo, 95, of Woodhaven. “The center means everything in the world to me.”


Many of those who attend the center are older seniors in their 80s and 90s and said the support they receive from friends and employees there is crucial, particularly because many of them have lost spouses and friends.


About 55 seniors come to the center for lunch four days a week.


“We need each other,” said Evelyn Yantis, 88, of Richmond Hill. “This is what makes me happy, coming here. I wake up, I get dressed, and I want to come here.”


Joseph Palladino, a decorated World War II veteran who lives in Woodhaven, echoed others’ sentiments and said the center provided a much needed support base after his wife of nearly 60 years died in 2004.


“It gives people an incentive to get up in the morning and go out and be with people,” Palladino said. “If they didn’t have this place, they’d just stay home, put the television on, skip lunch and just rot away.”


For Palladino, the center has become not just a place to play bingo and cards but to do what he has become quite adept at — flirting.


Nicknamed the “kissing bandit,” Palladino noted he is legally blind so he has had to pursue hobbies other than reading or watching television.


“I’ve had to take up catching girls,” Palladino said and winked.


Other senior center officials said they were unsure as to whether or not the facility would have to close, but Howard Beach Senior Center Director Ike Albala said any cuts to funding for elderly residents in the borough would be a harsh blow to a vulnerable population.


“If they don’t have a place where they can go and interact with their peers, where they can go for meals and access services, it becomes a stifling kind of existence,” Albala said. “It would be quite a shock if we closed. A lot of our members are within walking distance, and there’s no other center within walking distance.