Volume 11 Issue No. 52 Dec. 31, 2010 Jan. 6, 2011

Online at www.QueensPress.com

PAGE 22

Southeast Queens officials don’t believe the Mayor, who came to St. Albans Thursday to check on the progress of snow removal, understands the reality of the neighborhood’s poor blizzard clean-up. By Jason Banrey…Page 3

GJDC’s Carlisle Towery

Person Of The YearPage 9 & 10

Southeast Queens officials don’t believe the Mayor,

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News Briefs

Father’s Club Christmas

It was the night before Christ-

mas Eve, and more than 400 chil-

dren were celebrating at the Sec-

ond Annual Christmas Party

sponsored by Assemblyman Wil-

liam Scarborough, Honorary

Chair of the Million Fathers

Club; Andrene Williams,

Founder/Executive Director of

Lady Doves; Derrick Phillips of

Read Dads Network; Tammy

Greer Brown of Celebrating Real

Family Life; and Occasions Ca-

tering Hall.

Children were entertained by

local youth groups, had their pic-

tures taken with Santa, played or-

ganized games, had their faces

painted by NYC Dept. of Parks

and Recreation workers, re-

ceived Christmas presents of

their choice from the large selec-

tion and enjoyed cotton candy,

dinner and dessert. Children and

their families came from the

Saratoga Inn Shelter in Jamaica,

women’s shelters, and single fa-

thers and their children. Fathers

also received a Christmas

present: a warm scarf.

It took the resources and con-

tributions of many groups and or-

ganizations to stage an event of

this size. Local businesses, includ-

ing BBQ Pit, Marcel Robin Agency

State Farm Insurance, Enterprise

Car Rental, Springfield Diner and

other merchants joined local

groups, including United Black

Men of Queens, Jamaica Branch

of the NAACP Youth Group. Lo-

cal elected officials also donated

time and gifts, including Council-

man Leroy Comrie and Sen.

Malcolm Smith, who came by at

the beginning of the party with a

big bag of toys. Other contributors

included the 113th Precinct Com-

munity Council, Youth and Ten-

nis, and many more.

Assemblyman William Scarborough with co-host

Andrene Williams, Founder and CEO of Lady Doves,

and two of the children celebrating the night before

Christmas Eve.

Co-host Derrick Phillips of Real Dads Network (l. to

r.), Michael Johnson, Honorary Chair of the Million

Fathers Club Assemblyman William Scarborough, a

UBM Mentee volunteer who played Santa and Rodney

Pride of United Black Men of Queens.

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A color guard drapes a flag over the casket of Queens County Clerk Gloria D’Amico,

who was laid to rest Christmas Eve after succumbing on cancer on Dec. 21.

Saying Goodbye:

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BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Did Sanitation supervisors purposely

botch the response to the blizzard to send

a message to Mayor Mike Bloomberg over

budget cuts? Councilman Dan Halloran

(R-Whitestone) said he’s been told yes,

but Sanitation officials and workers are

saying no.

Halloran said five workers, three Sani-

tation workers and two DOT supervisors

from Queens, contacted his office and

informed him that Sanitation supervisors

instructed workers to sit in their trucks

immediately during and after the blizzard

Sunday night and early Monday morning

and wait for instruction. They were left

waiting for 6-to-8 hours each without get-

ting assignments.

Halloran said workers were told by

supervisors from the Sanitation Dept. to

“take their time” and not worry about

missed streets. They were told, according

to Halloran, that “Mayor Bloomberg does

not care about Sanitation” and “this would

send a message.”

The lackluster response came during a

blizzard Sunday night that crippled the

City, with a 20-inch snowfall leaving city

services, mass transit, emergency re-

sponders and drivers abandoning hope of

getting anywhere.

Halloran said one of the Sanitation

workers came to his office independently

of the other two. The councilman became

suspicious when their stories corroborated

each other’s.

Halloran noted that the workers who

contacted him said the orders did not

come from their unions, but rather their

supervisors, and that union officers were

not at all involved in any decision.

At least 10 percent of the Sanitation

workforce did not show up to work dur-

ing the blizzard, Halloran said, including

400 workers who called in sick and 100

who requested an emergency day off. He

said that figure is not common during a

snowstorm.

“People want the overtime,” he said.

While he acknowledged it was possible

Christmas played a factor in the call-outs,

he said there was “no reason to think, for a

minute, we could not have had extra man-

power, even with the Christmas holiday.”

The City Council has scheduled a hear-

ing on the response to the blizzard on

Jan. 10. Halloran said the Council is ask-

ing the Sanitation Dept. to bring in tapes

from various units in the field to get a

closer look at the radio transmissions be-

tween supervisors and workers and com-

pare them to past storms. He stressed that

workers, many of whom have denied a

slowdown occurred, were just following

orders given to them by supervisors.

“These workers are proud to be city

servants, proud to work for City of New

York,” he said. “They were very upset by

this.”

Halloran said he was not exonerating

blame from Bloomberg and his adminis-

tration. He agreed the mayor should have

at least considered declaring a snow emer-

gency, which would have stripped the city

streets of buses, many of which later got

stuck, blocking plows from cleaning the

streets.

One Sanitation worker pointed the

blame at Deputy Mayor for Operations

Stephen Goldsmith, who joined the

Bloomberg administration earlier this year

and has butted heads with Sanitation

Commissioner John Doherty over issues

Bosses Suspected In Plow Slow Down

such as staff size and the use of private

contractors in snow removal. Doherty

said earlier in the week that there were

not enough private contractors helping

the DOS during the storm and suggested

pay may be a reason. Appearing with

Bloomberg at a press conference in St.

Albans on Thursday morning, Doherty

said he’s seen no proof of a slowdown

instigated by supervisors.

“There’s been a lot of speculation on

that. As a commissioner I am concerned

about that. I have not seen that,” Doherty

said. “I’ve seen a lot of dedicated people

out there working. I’ve been out in the

field with them. I talked with the officers

and met with them. Yes we have to look

at any allegations in this department, but

as of now, I cannot confirm that.”

At 153rd Avenue and 84th Street on Tues-day, plowing of this major route through

South Queens still had not occurred.

The Q8 Bus runs through Ozone Park last

Sunday. These buses were later stranded,

with the line not operating fully again untilWednesday.

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Halloran said the workers’ allegations

come specifically from the borough of

Queens and that there was no evidence

similar orders were given citywide.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400

Ext. 125

BY JASON BANREY

Four days after the sixth largest New

York City snowstorm on record paralyzed

the city, Southeast Queens politicians were

still looking for answers as to why their

constituents were left out

in the cold to suffer.

At a press conference

held in Roy Wilkins Com-

munity Center on Thurs-

day, Mayor Mike Bloomberg

provided updates on the

city’s efforts to clean snow

left on some city blocks and

continued to defend criti-

cism about how his admin-

istration handled the clean

up.

“We are not making ex-

cuses,” said Bloomberg.

“We still have work to do.”

Joined by Borough President Helen

Marshall, and Councilmen Leroy Comrie

(D-St. Albans) and Ruben Wills (D-South

Ozone Park), Bloomberg assured New York-

ers that snow plows have been down most

streets throughout the borough, at least once.

In the aftermath of the blizzard, as

some Queens residents continued to clean

up snow untouched by city plows, Mayor

Bloomberg remained defensive about how

his administration responded to the storm

after addressing New Yorkers through the

city.

As of Thursday morning,

many of the 600 stranded

buses throughout the city

had been freed with the help

of Sanitation officials, fly-

ing over the city in helicop-

ters allocating snow plows

below into neighborhoods

that were still snowed in.

The mayor, who had

vowed to have every street

in the city cleared by 7 a.m.

Thursday, said there were

some exceptions to streets

sti l l being blocked by

stranded vehicles left behind

during the storm and were expected to be

cleared before noon.

The mayor assured the public that

his administration addressed the re-

cent snowstorm clean up with the same

– if not more – resources when com-

pared to previous storms that occurred

under his administration.

Deflecting questions about the delays

throughout the clean-up process the Mayor

stressed an investigation would follow after

all of the snow was cleared and that the

review would reveal how the administra-

tion reacted to the blizzard.

With 1,600 plows and 2,000 day labor-

ers still working around the clock to ensure

the city’s transportation infrastructure is

fully operational before the New Year’s

holiday weekend, local politicians still

questioned when their districts were going

to be entirely clean.

“There was definitely a different re-

sponse and it was an inadequate response,”

Comrie said.

Although there have not been any

deaths in his district related to delayed

emergency response, Comrie said he be-

lieves responsibility for the poor handling

of the clean up ultimately falls on the

Mayor and looks forward to the City

Council’s review of the administration’s

clean up response.

After fire apparatus vehicles faced diffi-

culties reaching fires in the aftermath of the

snowstorm within his district, Comrie is still

looking for answers as to why some areas in

his districts have still not been cleaned.

“[Mayor Bloomberg has] taken respon-

sibility; now we have to get to the root of

how this happened,” he said.

Wills believes his district suffered just

as much as many of the city’s outer bor-

ough neighborhoods.

When Wills found his vehicle stuck,

experiencing his first snowstorm as an

elected official, he took a shovel in his hand

and began to dig. He believes his efforts

inspired others to do the same as he wit-

nessed his constituents helping one an-

other free themselves from the snowy chaos.

“It was a poor response to a storm we

knew was happening,” said Wills.

Even though the city may have poorly

handled the response to storm, he said it

is the responsibility of local politicians to

address the concerns of their constitu-

ents.

“People don’t want to hear that it’s the

Mayor’s fault,” said Wills. “They want to

know that plows are coming down their

blocks and that we’re doing what we need

to do. We’re the face of city government.”

Reach Intern Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 128.

Mayor Promises Clean SEQ Streets

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Mayor Mike Bloomberg de-

fends the City’s snow response.

Presstime

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BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Earlier this year, a few seniors and one

outspoken parent took umbrage with Jose

Cruz, principal of Mathematics, Science

Research & Technology Magnet High

School. A few more students and teachers

have joined the fray.

In June, the complaints were focused

on harsh punishment for minute offenses;

this time around, Cruz’s detractors are

alleging racist, unsupportive, inept and

inappropriate behavior.

“I have worked with three principals

and I have never come across anyone that

has exuded this level of incompetence,”

said a 9-year Dept. of Education employee.

“He has no leadership skills.”

Both students and teachers requested

anonymity for fear of retaliation. Cruz

took the reins in the 2009-2010 school

year and initially, there were high hopes.

“The first day of school, he came to us

smiling,” said a senior. “He told us we were

the most beautiful students.”

She said there were promises of museum

outings and an excursion to Spain, but she

contends those were false promises.

“We don’t go anywhere,” she said. “We

don’t even go up the block.

“This man spoke to us like Obama. Two

weeks later, we found out he was a fake.”

The DOE would not comment on the

specifics of the allegations lodged against

Cruz. Margie Feinberg, a DOE spokes-

woman, said there was an anonymous

allegation regarding Cruz currently under

review.

Washington Sanchez, a spokesman for

the United Federation of Teachers, said

the school has had problems for about a

year and a half. He said Cruz was supposed

to come in and lead the school.

“It is obvious to me during my visits

there that he hasn’t done that,” Sanchez

said. Though he wouldn’t comment on the

specifics of the allegations, Sanchez said

accusations need to be investigated.

Students and

teachers contend

that the Annual

Winter Wonderland

trip, which Cruz ap-

proved in Septem-

ber, was cancelled

because “last year it

wasn’t educational

enough,” said a 10-

year DOE em-

ployee.

The teachers

said the only outings

students are al -

lowed are sched-

uled and approved

by Cruz and those

in his inner circle.

“Anything that

was student -ori -

ented, he would just

shut down,” said a

15-year teacher.

The allegations are more serious than

cancelled and restrictive jaunts.

Teachers said Cruz embarrassed a col-

league in front of her English class. They

contend that Cruz told the teacher, “You

are a waste of funds.”

“He made her cry,” said the 10-year

employee. “The teacher had 14 years of

satisfactory experience and all of a sudden

she doesn’t know how to teach? She is an

excellent teacher.”

The teachers allege that Cruz insulted

another teacher by calling her “irrespon-

sible, childish, unacceptable,” regarding

her tutoring program.

Another alleged instance of Cruz’s

unprofessional behavior is when he

grabbed the arm of a female teacher during

an argument.

“He will flip out,” said the 9-year profes-

sional. “He has an anger management

problem.”

Including his insults, teachers said Cruz

threatened them with termination and

poor evaluations.

Since being appointed to his post, the

teachers contend that about 12 staff mem-

bers have either been fired or left on their

own volition.

“We are not happy,” said the 10-year

veteran. “We are very distressed.”

A 15-year teacher who was denied ten-

ure said Cruz lacks leadership skills. She

said a Spanish teacher with a success rate

of 98 percent was also not offered tenure

because “she was not a native speaker.”

“Since he came, employee morale has

dropped 100 percent,” she said.

The 9-year veteran said Cruz came in

with the idea of ridding the school of its

teachers.

“He said, if it was his choice, he would

get a brand new staff,” said the teacher.

Not only have teachers and staff suf-

fered, but teachers contend that students

are receiving the short end of the stick.

“This is not a school,” said a student.

“This is a prison.”

Principal Leaves School Crying Foul

Jose Cruz, principal of Mathematics, Science Research & Technol-

ogy Magnet High School, whose tenure at the school’s helm has been

a source of controversy.

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They paint Cruz as a hermit, who fears

the students and doles out insults to those

in his path.

“His door is always closed,” said one

student. “He is hiding from us.”

Michelle Thompson, a parent-teacher

association member and mother of a

sophomore, said since Cruz became prin-

cipal, “the whole environment [of the

school] changed. When you walk inside

the school, there is tension.”

Like students and staff, Thompson said

she had high hopes, but they have de-

flated. She questions Cruz’s leadership

and motivation. Thompson alleged that a

scout from a college program asked to see

her son, but was denied access. Her son

claimed Cruz said, “The majority of you

won’t go to college anyway, so what’s the

point of stopping the school day.”

Thompson’s statement was buttressed

by the teachers. On many occasions, the

teachers said they have heard Cruz say,

“Those kids don’t need computers; this

population doesn’t go to four-year schools;

those kids are not motivated.”

“You are supposed to build morale,”

Thompson said. “You are supposed to

have these kids believing they are next

Barack Obama, the next Bill Gates. Not

the next inmate 246810.”

Allegedly, Cruz has cancelled computer

classes at the school and has not replaced

a science teacher out on maternity leave.

Thompson said her son is one of the

students who is being prepared for the

Living Environment Regents Exam by a

substitute teacher. She said she met with

the substitute, who is studying to be a

guidance counselor.

“[My son] will not be taking the test,”

she said. Thompson has complained to

311 and DOE. She said there is an inves-

tigation pending.

Allegedly, Cruz had ample notice to

secure another teacher to instruct the sci-

ence class.

Cruz’s detractors claim he has not only

failed as a role model and motivator for the

students, but he is also denying them a

complete high school experience. They claim

the school’s sports programs have suffered.

Darlene Newell, mother of a senior at

school, said the school does not function.

Her issues stem from the dirty environment

of the school to the loud and uncouth secu-

rity guards. With that said, Newell contends

A contingent of students, a member

of the parent teacher association and the

school leadership team alleged Principal

Jose Cruz of the Mathematics, Science,

Research and Technology Magnet High

School doles out harsh punishment for

minor offenses in June. They recounted

to the PRESS their alleged reasons for

suspension.

Cruz spoke to the PRESS brief ly, al-

leging the students were not truthful and

they had been party to other incidents,

which garnered them suspensions. He

later said the Dept. of Education would

not allow him to comment further.

• Romaine Spencer, 18, said he and

a few friends were suspended for lean-

ing against the wall while other students

were embroiled in an argument. The se-

nior, who has an athletic scholarship to

Texas Southern University, said he felt

Cruz singled them out.

• Sasha Clarida, 18, said he was sus-

pended for saying “mango” while Cruz

walked by. Clarida contends he meant no

disrespect and was not addressing Cruz.

• Andrew Downie, 18, said he was

suspended twice during the course of his

senior year. His first suspension was for

insubordination and starting a riot.

Downie said before

class two students he

had issues with ac-

costed him. Downie

said his teacher de-

manded he sit and he

complied. After -

wards the rabble-rous-

ers returned and,

though the skirmish

never came to blows,

he didn’t back down.

Downie said he re-

ceived a five-day sus-

pension, which he

d i s r e g a r d e d .

His second suspen-

sion came because he

and another student

were listening to an iPod in the lunch-

room. He said Cruz stared at them for a

few seconds until they put it away. His

suspension came a few days later for in-

Arbitrary High School Justice

subordination. This time he stayed home.

• Demi Braddy, 17, said she was sus-

pended on three occasions. Her first

stemmed from her involvement in a fight,

which did not take

place on school prop-

erty or during school

time. The senior said

she was suspended

days later after the

principal saw the

f ight on YouTube.

Braddy’s second sus-

pension came at the

scene of a f ight .

Braddy said she was

exiting the building

while a fight was in

progress and be -

cause she and

Nmesoma Okafor

did not move fast

enough, they re -

ceived five days suspension. She agrees

to the third suspension because, though

Braddy said she was not the aggressor,

she fought in school.

that the school’s biggest hindrance is Cruz.

“He treats teachers like they are non-

existent,” she said. “Those teachers are

there because they love those kids and

they care about them.”

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 127.

PRESS

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Mathematics, Science, Research and

Technology Magnet High School se-

niors Nmesoma Okafor (l. to r.), Demi

Braddy, Andrew Downie and Romaine

Spencer claim their overzealous princi-

pal has suspended students for minor or

illegitimate offenses.

In Our Opinion:In Our Opinion:

OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

150-50 14th Road

Whitestone, NY 11357

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

email news@queenspress.com

The PRESS of Southeast Queens

Associate Publisher

Arnold Thibou

Executive Editor:

Brian Rafferty

Contributing Editor:

Marcia Moxam Comrie

Production Manager:

Shiek Mohamed

Queens Today Editor

Regina Vogel

Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters:

Harley Benson

Sasha Austrie

Joseph Orovic

Domenick Rafter

Jessica Ablamsky

Editorial Intern:

Angy Altamirano

Jason Banrey

Terry Chao

Art Dept:

Sara Gold

Rhonda Leefoon

Candice Lolier

Barbara Townsend

Advertising Director

Alan J. Goldsher

Sr. Account Executive

Shelly Cookson

Advertising Executives

Merlene Carnegie

A Queens Tribune Publication.

© Copyright 2010 Tribco, LLC

Michael Schenkler,

President & Publisher

Michael Nussbaum,

Vice President,

Associate Publisher

LettersEditorial

Blizzard Of ’10 Reminiscent of ‘69

A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

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Letters

Person Of The Year

In past years, the PRESS of Southeast Queens has honored people

who have made a difference in the lives of the people of Queens. We have

honored philanthropists, soldiers, public servants and dreamers.

Today, we honor a hard-working man and the institution he has led.

Carlisle Towery, though he will humbly defer to his organization and rest

the honor on the shoulders of all those who have supported the Greater

Jamaica Development Corporation through the years, is truly deserving

of this honor.

The changes that he has led, the initiatives that he has championed

and the battles he has fought - for the last 40 years - have helped trans-

form a neighborhood teetering on the verge of collapse into a thriving

destination, a great place to live and own a business.

Congratulations to Carlisle Towery, to the Greater Jamaica Devel-

opment Corporation and to the people of Queens who have benefitted

from all of the excellent work done on their behalf.

Send your thoughts, ideas,

opinions, outrage, praise,

observations about our

community

WRITE ON:

The PRESS of

Southeast Queens

150-50 14th Rd.,

Whitestone, NY 11357

e-mail:news@queenspress.com

fax: (718) 357-9417

SOUND OFFFailure!

To The Editor:

In my book, Mayor Bloomberg,

the Sanitation Department and

the MTA failed the people of this

great city of ours. I live in Glen

Oaks Village and many of our

streets were forgotten. In the

storm of '06, which had more

snow, the streets were better shov-

eled. The city knew in advance

and yet lives were put in jeop-

ardy.

The MTA was no better and

left many of us without proper

transportation. I think heads

ought to roll after this disaster.

We the people want answers and

promises that the city will be bet-

ter prepared next time.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,

Glen Oaks

Normalcy?

To The Editor:

After the blizzard of Dec. 26,

how could Mayor Bloomberg say

to the media that there was nor-

malcy in the city? With nearly

1,000 buses and 120 ambulances

stranded in huge snowdrifts, as

well as scores of cars and other

vehicles. Things were far from

normalcy, Mr. Mayor!

You have some nerve telling

people to take in a Broadway

show, when many people were

struggling to clear their sidewalks,

driveways and cars from the

snow. You do not seem to realize

that Manhattan is not the only

borough in this city.

Take a tour of Queens, Staten

Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx if

you really want to see what chaos

this blizzard caused, and what

stress and hardships it continues

to cause for everyone.

John Amato,

Fresh Meadows

What Do I Do?

To The Editor:

I hope the local papers do a

story about The Blizzard of 2010

and the city's response to the

outer boroughs. Where are the

Sanitation Department plows? It

is almost 9 p.m. [Tuesday] and

the streets of West Maspeth have

not been plowed all day. What is

going on?

One member of The West

Maspeth Block Association

called me and wanted to know

why 62nd Avenue had not been

plowed. They are in back of the

fire house on Metropolitan Av-

enue.

She said there are elderly

people and babies on her block

who might need help.

I spoke to Lydon Sleeper [from

Councilwoman Elizabeth

Crowley's office] earlier today

and he said he would get back to

me on a time frame when the

streets would be plowed. I never

heard back from him. I told that

member to call Councilwoman

Elizabeth Crowley's office tomor-

row if nothing changes.

This is ridiculous. The city

wants to issue summonses to prop-

erty owners and they have not

plowed the secondary and ter-

tiary streets even once today.

How are emergency vehicles sup-

posed to get around?

I watch the news and see how

clean Manhattan looks, but here

in Maspeth the roads are impass-

able. Why is this?

This reminds me of when

Mayor Lindsay ignored Queens

back in the 60s. It seems Mayor

Bloomberg wants to be like him.

What should I tell members of

my civic association when they

ask about the snow plows? People

have to go back to work. People

need to get out and do errands

that can't wait.

C. Charlene Stubbs,

Maspeth

Even those of us who were not

around to see or personally re-

member it, we’re reminded of

John Lindsay’s neglect of Queens

in 1969, as we were snowed in

and left that way following the

holiday blizzard this week.

It was “de ja vu all over again,”

as Yogi Berra famously said.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg, like Lind-

say, now has egg on his face, or

perhaps we should say snow.

The accusation that most may-

ors see New York City as Man-

hattan only was given some cre-

dence again this week as the four

outer boroughs were left largely

unplowed while Manhattan

seemed pretty much fine. It was

not only frustrating but infuriat-

ing as well.

I am writing this on late Wednes-

day morning, Dec. 29th, and my

street and many others in my area

of Queens are as yet unplowed.

Like countless other New

Yorkers, I was due back at work

on Tuesday, but I was homebound.

The snow is almost knee-high

and there is nary a truck in sight

to clean and salt it so people can

go on about their business.

I forced myself to get out to

work on Wednesday, slipping and

sliding as in a Paul Simon song.

Thankfully, I made it in one piece.

It seems outrageous that a snow-

storm of less than two feet has

crippled our city for this many days.

The mayor keeps asking for

our patience; and he keeps blam-

ing the slow-to-plow situation on

“abandoned vehicles.” For sure

there were many knuckleheads

who did not heed the warning to

stay off the roads during the

storm. They ended up having to

abandon their cars where they

were as driving became impos-

sible. But it doesn’t seem that

there were that many abandoned

cars in a city this large to have

crippled the cleanup function.

So patience is in short supply.

Sanitation Commissioner John

Doherty actually went on NY1

and admitted, “The storm got

ahead of us […] We couldn’t keep

up.”

But you were forewarned of

the storm, Sir. Why weren’t you

more prepared? Ambulances, fire

trucks and other emergency ve-

hicles were unable to get to their

appointments due to the snow.

Homebound elderly folks were

left unfed because the free, pre-

pared food they rely on from the

likes of Meals on Wheels could

not be delivered due to the snow.

It is fair to expect some delays

caused by the hazardous condi-

tions presented by a snowstorm.

But lives are endangered by the

lack of proper coordination to

clean up the mess in a hurry.

In fairness to the Dept. of Sani-

tation, they usually respond well

in smaller snow storms. It may

take them a while to get to the

side streets, but they usually get it

done within the first 24 hours.

This time though, they really did

not rise to the occasion.

The mayor, like the Sanitation

commissioner, ought to just cop

to the failure and say, “We fell

short. Let us learn from this and

ensure it never happens again.

This nature-made hazard tested

our mettle and we failed.”

Experts predict that New York

is destined for a major hurricane

this century and we recently had

an earthquake tremor. They say

these are disasters waiting to hap-

pen. So this snow storm was an

opportunity to test our mettle and

we failed.

How will the response be if

and when “the big one” hits?

Clearly our disaster preparedness

needs work. This is New York, we

have come to expect better.

There are probably more bliz-

zards to come in 2011, so here’s

hoping they’ll get it right. In the

meantime, Happy New Year ev-

eryone!

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

Henry Stern

By HENRY STERNThe indictment of six people

by the U.S. Attorney, with the as-sistance of the City Departmentof Invest igation, broke open theCityTime scandal. ”Payrollgate”dwarfs many other thefts from theCity of New York. Thiscase is a biggie; it de-serves a name of it sown.

An early warning ofserious problems withthe contracts is laid outin a very specific six-page letter, written inFebruary 2003, signedby Richard Valcich, whoat the time was director of the Of-fice of Payroll Administration,which was in charge of theproject.

The Daily News, which wason the story f ir st, ran JuanGonzalez’s column on p3, the leadnews page. The letter by Valcichwas made available in response toa FOIL (Freedom of InformationLaw) request made by the News.Their repor ter and columnist,Gonzalez, has been writing aboutthe scandal for over a year. Sev-eral of his articles were publishedin the News over at least a year.Apparently, however, they wereignored by the authorities with the

power to correct the situation.As a result of recent revela-

tions, a dozen new questions cometo mind. We know it is easier toask questions than to answer them,but the City pays millions of dol-lars to supervise these activit ies,

in order to save the hun-dreds of millions that maybe wasted because of fail-ure to control a gang ofthieves, not to ment ionthe contract not being ful-filled.

1. Did Valcich sendcopies of his 2003 letterto anyone else besidesthe contractor?

2. Whom did he report toin the Mayor’s Office and theComptroller’s Office?

3. Were they informed ofthe situation?

4. Did SAIC re spond toValcich’s letter in any way? If so,how?

5. Did Valcich have any re-lationship with any contractor af-ter he retired in 2004?

6. Did he write anything atthe time of his departure to indi-cate any concerns about theproject?

7. What, if any, was his re-lationship with his successor, JoelBondy? Did he recommend Bondy

for the job?8. How were Valcich and

Bondy appointed to the OPA po-sition in the first place? How longdid Valcich serve? (The earliest ref-erence on the web to his time atOPA is a March 1997 article.)

9. During his tenure, didValcich ever have contact withoversight agencies, or city inves-tigators, over the situation that wasdeveloping with SAIC?

10. Which staff member, ifany, actually wrote the letter thatValcich signed? Are the employeeswho worked on this mat ter st illwith OPA?

11. What was the role ofComptroller William Thompson’soffice in all this? He had leader-ship responsibility for OPA from2002 until he left office in Decem-ber 2009. Did he ever say or doanyth ing about the bal looningcosts? Was he aware of the prob-lem? Did someone represent himin dealing with these matters?

12. Who in the mayor’s of-fice had responsibility for OPA? DidValcich and Bondy submit regularwritten repor ts dealing with thesituation? If they did, who read thereports and what did they do aboutthem? If they did not submit re-ports, who failed to demand them?If they submitted false reports, did

Valcich’s Letter Blew Whistle, But What Was Follow-Up?anyone check them?

We ask today, what agencies,if any, are trying to find the an-swers to al l the issue s in th iscase? It will take some time to com-pletely solve this massive case. Wewould hope there would be re-ports, from time to time, as factsare discovered by the probers.

The fraud here endured for sixyears. The investigation must notbe as protracted as the

wrongdoing. Although at first itappears like a case of “Who leftthe barn door open, and why,” itmay turn out that there were moreserious derelictions on the part ofindividuals with responsibility tooversee the contracts.

By the way, what ever hap-pened to the payroll reporting sys-tem SAIC and others were sup-posed to produce?

StarQuest@NYCivic.org

Goodbye 2010: That Was Another Year That WasBy MICHAEL SCHENKLER

The year in which the QueensTribune celebrated its 40th Anni-versary is coming to an end as Iwrite this; economically, politically,and in most ways, 2010 was a not-too-compelling continuance of theseveral years before.

The world was wrapped in ashroud of recession and, in spiteof signs of hope, Main St. Queenscontinued to struggle. The plagueof unemployment had not yetabated. The folks from Long IslandCity to Little Neck spent with cau-tion and worried that their retire-ment plans may be in jeopardy —except those who had no job -they just worried.

Politically, the Democrats paida price for the economic situation.The House of Representatives willno longer be in their control andthe Senate will no longer be fili-buster-proof. In New York, theState Senate went back to Repub-lican control – after the Democratsembarrassingly botched their first

shot at control in more than a gen-eration.

Hiram Monserrate is justifiablygone – shat on by his fellow Sen-ate Dems after buying back his vote– and then defeated at the polls.Although not Queens, Pedro Espadais gone too – only he appearsheaded for a long stay at a differenttype of publically-run facility.

Aravella Simotas and EdBraunstein are two new Queenselecteds — Assemblymembers go-ing to Albany to, well, be part ofthat mess. Mike Gianaris movedfrom the Assembly to a position ofleadership for the messed up StateSenate Dems – but in the minority.

David Paterson, a seeminglygood man, ended his embarrass-ing service as Governor with a$62,125 fine for his ethical mis-steps in ripping off Yankee tickets.This final straw is symbolic of hisvery disappointing term in office.

It was another year for a latebudget in New York – a very latebudget with a deficit we’ll be pay-ing off for generations. And a yearwhere the Aqueduct Racino con-tract was finally awarded after be-ing taken out of the hands of thelegislators and governor when theyappeared to be playing personalboard games with the Monopolymoney they thought they wereentitled to spread around.

Emerging Past, a horror filmcentered on the psycho-adventureof Pam, a Tribune photographer,

was shot in 2010 inour offices and ourborough by locally-grown director Tho-mas Churchil l . Itwon for Best Hor-ror Feature at theNew York City Inter-national Film Festi-val.

As a result ofthe 2010 Census,New York State willlose two seats in theHouse of Represen-tatives, bringing ourvoting influence toan all-time low.

Tom White andGloria D’Amico,two giant s of theQueens polit icalscene, left us to dotheir politicking in better places.

The long, drawn out pensionscandal centered in the office ofComptroller Alan Hevesi drews toan end as the once fair-haired in-tellect of Queens politics, coppeda guilty plea and acknowledgescomplicity.

Ed Koch reemerged from hismovie watching and semi-privatelife to lead NY Uprising, an effortto bring reform to Albany – whichwill soon be tested as the legisla-ture begins the budget process andplans for reapportionment.

The voters of New York City,for a third time, ratified a two-term

limit for City officials – only theCharter Revision Commission pre-sented them with the option of giv-ing all present office-holders anextra term.

Our friend and Trib columnistwho shares this page is leading theeffort to get the question back onnext year’s ballot to have thepeople’s two-term limit law takeeffect immediately.

At the end of a multi-year,multi-million dollar search, our newvoting machine premiered to: a lackof privacy, malfunctions, poorlytrained inspectors and result de-lays.

Our Junior Senator,Kirstin Gillibrand, emergedafter her election as an ef-fect ive leader, ski l l ful lyhonchoing the 9-11 FirstResponders Health Carebill to a year-end passage.

Carl Paladino came outswinging and quickly disap-peared into oblivion.

And son of Queens,Andrew Cuomo, takes thehelm of a dysfunctional shipof New York State govern-ment and attempts to righta terribly listing, old, tiredand corrupt vessel.

The Tribune, after 20years, moved its offices to

a sparkling new home one blocknorth of the Cross Island inWhitestone and the second logohand cut by my late father-in-lawwho crafted the original for ourmove 20 years ago, was hung inthe new Tribune office.

And it was the first time inyears that our whole family madeit to the annual Tribune HolidayParty to wish to our friends andreaders a Happy Holiday and Maythe New Year Bring only GoodNews to You and Yours.

May 2011 bring health, peaceand prosperity.MSchenkler@QueensPress.com

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Police BlotterCompiled By DOMENICK RAFTER

102nd Precinct

Burglar Loose

Detectives from the 102nd Precinct

are requesting the public’s assistance in

locating a suspect wanted in two resi-

dential burglaries in Woodhaven. The

first incident occurred on Aug. 13, be-

tween 7:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., at 94-

31 Park Lane South. The second inci-

dent occurred on Sept. 3, between 8

a.m. and 9:45 p.m., at 76-50 85th Dr.

The suspect, Matthew Misla, 32, en-

tered via the rear of the locations. Once

inside, he allegedly removed money,

jewelry, and electronic equipment. He

is described as a Hispanic man, 6-feet,

180 lbs, with brown eyes, black hair and

a goatee.

Anyone with information in regards to

this case is asked to call the NYPD Crime

Stoppers Hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. Citi-

zens can also submit their tips by logging

onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at

nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting

their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then en-

tering TIP577. All calls are kept strictly

confidential.

Laundromat Thief

Police are asking for the public’s assis-

tance in locating a suspect wanted in con-

nection with a commercial burglary in

Woodhaven. The burglary occurred at

around 5:48 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at

78-07 Jamaica Ave., at a laundromat, in

Woodhaven.

The suspect broke the front windows

at the location, entered the building, and

unsuccessfully pried open a change ma-

chine. The establishment was closed at

the time.

He is described as a Hispanic male, 5-

foot-10, 175 lbs, of light complexion, and

wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information in regards to

this case is asked to call the NYPD Crime

Stoppers Hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. Citi-

zens can also submit their tips by logging

onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at

nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting

their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then en-

tering TIP577. All calls are kept strictly

confidential.

104th Precinct

Knife Attacker Shot

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 9:36 p.m.,

inside of 64-49 Shaler Ave. in Ridgewood,

police responded to a 911 call of a man

with a knife. Upon arrival, officers were

confronted by Zach Bingert, 21, armed

with a knife. The Officers discharged their

firearms, striking Bingert several times.

EMS responded to the scene and pro-

nounced him dead at the scene. The of-

ficers were removed to Jamaica Hospital

for trauma and minor injuries.

106th Precinct

Two Men Shot

On Wednesday, Dec. 29, at approxi-

mately 12:51 a.m., inside of 103-14 135

St., in Richmond Hill, police responded

to a 911 call of shots fired. Upon arrival,

two men were found inside the location.

The first victim, Gary Bowlin, 35, was

found with one gunshot wound to the

head. The second victim, Cyprus France,

35, had one graze wound to the face and

one gunshot wound to the hip. EMS re-

sponded and pronounced Bowlin dead

at the scene. France was transported to

Jamaica Hospital where he was listed in

stable condition. The investigation was

ongoing.

From the DA

Two men traveling aboard a flight from

San Juan, Puerto Rico to New York have

been arraigned on charges of bringing 92

pounds of cocaine into JFK Airport on

Christmas Day.

The defendants have been identified

as Enmanuel Rojas Peralta, 24, and Is-

rael Rodriguez Jacobo, 25, both of Puerto

Rico. The defendants were arraigned in

Queens Criminal Court before Acting Jus-

tice Joel L. Blumenfeld on a charge of

first-degree criminal possession of a con-

trolled substance.

According to the criminal complaint,

a Drug Enforcement Administration

agent inside the Delta Airlines terminal

at JFK observed the defendants on Dec.

25, at around 6:45 p.m., following their

arrival from San Juan. He allegedly ob-

served them in possession of four pieces

of luggage containing 42 packages of co-

caine. A Port Authority Police Depart-

ment detective looked inside the suitcases

then recovered the cocaine. Each of the

defendants was alleged to have been in

possession of two baggage claim checks

for the checked suitcases.

The defendants were ordered held on

$100,000 bail each and ordered to return

to court on Jan. 19. They face 25 years

to life in prison if convicted.

Police are seeking the public’s assistance

in finding this man in connection with two

burglaries in Woodhaven.

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Boro Resident Endures New HorrorAfter Exposure To Mystery PowderGJDC Icon Was Destined For Jamaica

BY BRIAN M. RAFFERTY

Carlisle Towery has always felt at

home in Jamaica. He was raised in the

South during the era of Jim Crow, but was

always taught tolerance,

respect and understanding

for people of all races.

Raised in Montevallo,

Ala., a small college town

with a girls school of 2,500

and an adjacent popula-

tion of another 2,500, he

went to public schools

there, learning from pro-

fessors who were dis -

placed German Jews. By

the time he hit eighth

grade, the family had relo-

cated to Towery’s mother’s

hometown of Alexander

City, Ala., an industrial

area that today is still the home of Russell

Athletics.

He continued in the local school

until 10th grade, when he went to a

small private school, Mountain Brook,

just outside Birmingham. “That was a

l i fe -changing exper ience for me,”

Towery said of his time at the school.

“It was a very intellectually stimulat-

ing place.”

It was also in Shelby County, which

was heavily inf luenced by the Ku Klux

Klan.

Struggles In The South

His was the first graduating class – 12

kids in all, including two

who were non-white, fairly

unique for the racist tem-

per of the South. “I think

the school did that sym-

bolically,” he said of the

two students who were

Latin American, coming

from a rich family with a

sugar plantation.

The lesson did not go

unnoticed.

One of his teachers was

from Antioch College in

Ohio, and pushed the

young man toward the

progressive institution.

“I went to Antioch and met Coretta

Scott,” Towery said. “She came there

twice; I had lunch with her two times.

She was from Montgomery, where her

husband was a minister.”

Towery, who was beginning to find his

way in the world, went to picket a nearby

barber who wouldn’t cut black kids’ hair.

“It turns out that [Allen AME Pastor

Floyd] Flake picketed the same barber

when he was at Wilberforce,” Towery said.

Carlisle Towery:

“He was a well known bigot.”

Eye On Planning

Wanting to focus his studies on archi-

tecture, Towery transferred to Auburn and

found himself immersed in a challenging

program that few students survived.

“None of my credits at Antioch trans-

ferred,” Towery said. “I was a freshman

just like the other 300, and only 20 of us

graduated five years later.”

Upon graduation, Towery, now mar-

ried, had received marching orders from

the Army to report for duty a year later.

He applied to Columbia.

“They have a special program there, it

was what they would call geographic di-

versity, within the graduate school of plan-

ning and architecture with a focus on ur-

ban design, which is what I did,” Towery

said.

“They accepted 10 graduates from the

Southern U.S., from top schools. I was

the only one from Auburn, and I laugh-

ingly say I got to Columbia because they

needed some rednecks – they needed

some geographic diversity.”

Enrolling in the program, Towery stud-

ied under renowned architectural preser-

vationist James Marston Fitch.

“I was his f lunky for a year, and then I

went to Germany for my two-year tour,

which I extended for four or five months

in order to come back to Columbia in

time,” Towery said. His wife traveled with

him, pregnant, and by the time he was

back stateside and at Columbia, they had

two children.

A Jamaica Focus

Refocusing on his studies, Towery’s

master’s thesis was on 125th Street in

Harlem. That was in 1965.

Working with the precursor to the lo-

cal community board, Towery also

worked closely with modernist architect

Victor Christ-Janer. But on the jury review-

ing his thesis was Stanley Tankel, who

was head of planning for the Regional

Plan Association. He immediately offered

the young Towery a job at RPA.

“My first job was project-focused, an

analysis of the lower Hudson, on both the

New York and New Jersey sides,” Towery

said. “My second job was an analysis of

Jamaica, Queens as a regional sub center.”

The project focused on the develop-

ment of Jamaica Center, a regional hub,

focusing on transportation, open space,

regional economy, public participation

and political aid.

“Manhattan was always the center of

centers, and beefing up Manhattan was

always central to the mission, but they

were convinced that you had to have sub

centers,” Towery said.

“There were a dozen places in the re-

gion that warranted public and private at-

tention for all kinds of public purposes,

including social ones. Jobs were moving

out and leaving the people behind, leav-

ing open space. They were eating up land

with large lot zoning. It was causing huge

social problems.”

“The power to control land use was

keeping blacks out, and they did it effec-

tively using zoning law. So RPA was a

Towery sits in the waiting area of the GJDC.

Carlisle Towery around the time

he joined the Greater Jamaica

Development Corporation.

leader in addressing regional trends that

were not good for the region.”

“RPA at the time had a plan, very ob-

jective and brilliant, and I worked my ass

off to be relevant to these people,”

Towery added.

Through the analysis of Jamaica,

Towery and his colleagues at RPA had

uncovered a brilliant truth about the fu-

ture of urban development zones.

“They were the first ones in the coun-

try to say the economy was not going to

be industrial, it was going to be office

space,” Towery said. “There are three

kinds of office activities: headquarters and

they can be anywhere; back office, which

is all the labor; and population related –

doctors, lawyers accountants, all the

people that serve the population.”

The Jamaica Center proposal, of copy

of which still sits in the offices of the

Greater Jamaica Development Corpora-

tion, called for a policy among the three

state governments (NY, NJ, Conn.) to

get a common vision that would shape

the region and not create growth patterns

that generated automobile demand.

It also called for the creation of the

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation.

The Final Step

After completing the project, Towery

left RPA and went into the private sector

while RPA went and created GJDC.

“And then they hired me,” he said.

“Actually, while I was on the other firm, I

consulted with them on the civil court; I

worked on that to argue that it belonged

in Jamaica. They needed to be grouped,

lawyers, jurors. Jamaica already had the

State Supreme Court; the family court was

here. We argued for consolidating su-

preme and civil in Jamaica – at one time

in this courthouse litigants and lawyers

in civil matters would share elevators with

shackled prisoners.”

Working with the Queens Bar Asso-

ciation, Greater Jamaica and Towery

sought to move the civil court out of Bor-

ough Hall and locate it on Sutphin Boule-

vard. They won that battle and Towery

came on full-time.

“Then I came to work here in 1971,”

Towery said. “I also was teaching at Co-

lumbia at the time.”

For the last 40 years, Towery and the

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation

have worked hand in hand with every

elected official that did or could cover Down-

town Jamaica, a host of local, city, state and

federal agencies too long to list and the

people of Jamaica who have welcomed this

Southern gentleman into their fold.

page 9

A Greater Jamaica Comes Into Focus

BY BRIAN M. RAFFERTY

Carlisle Towery may be the public face

that many who don't know better con-

sider the founder of the Greater Jamaica

Development Corporation, but even

though he has steered the ship for the

last four decades, he will be the first to

say that none of what has been accom-

plished could have been done without the

hard work and effort of the organization

as a whole.

"The [Regional Plan Association] and

the local Chamber of Commerce were the

parents," Towery, the president of GJDC,

said.

Local attorney Vincent Albanese and

home fuel oil entrepreneur Larry Cormier

were both active members of the Jamaica

Chamber of Commerce.

"I became involved in the community,

in the course of which I was asked to serve

as the president of the Jamaica Chamber

of Commerce," Albanese said. "I realized

that there were major problems with

Jamaica's future, and explored what to

do about it."

There were nine people who signed

the articles of incorporation of the

GJDC, but just how the organization

came to be was detailed in a film recently

commissioned by GJDC as part of a

records archive project.

The following is an excerpted tran-

script from the film, with direct interviews

of Albanese, Cormier, Towery and other

players:

Towery: Greater Jamaica was formed

at a time when a disinvestment was tak-

ing place. The downtown was being sur-

rounded by an economic noose of re-

gional malls, which was threatening

downtown, as was the uncertainty of eco-

nomic change.

Cormier: People were moving in from

Harlem, the Bronx and a lot from Brook-

lyn. Most of them were middle class

people, professionals.

Towery: The newcomers coming into

Jamaica were generally of higher in-

comes than the people that they had dis-

placed, the people that had fled. So it

was a real challenge, but also an oppor-

tunity.

Cormier: When the new people came

in, the perception is that we were differ-

ent, so they didn't know how to merchan-

dise, how to stock the stores to serve us.

All they had to do was do what they were

doing before and everything would have

been okay, but they didn't understand that.

There was no communication between

the new blacks and the old whites that

were here.

Towery: People were moving there by

choice and becoming stakeholders, and

while they were underserved, they were

still investing in the area and were creat-

ing what one prominent demographer

called a "zone of emergence," and that

was a favorable term for a place that was

evolving and growing.

Cormier: The Chamber of Commerce

was a real powerhouse at that time. John

Lindsay was mayor; Dave Starr was ac-

tive with the Chamber here.

Albanese: David Starr had suggested

to me and others that if we could get the

Regional Plan Association to do a study

on Jamaica, that would help us in under-

taking to do the kind of improvements

that needed to be done - transportation

and so forth.

Towery: Jamaica required thinking

about its future, its possibilities, its mar-

kets - given its attributes and given its prob-

lems. A plan was prepared, and it was

done by Regional Plan Association, who

had a regional vision of what the 31-coun-

try tri-state metropolitan area was under-

going.

Richard T. Anderson, President, New

York Building Congress: What RPA was

looking for was sub-centers, places where

development could be concentrated ap-

propriately rather than continue to allow

urban sprawl. The first prototype of an

urban sub-center was Jamaica. Jamaica

was an aging downtown in Central

Queens. But it had fallen from the hub of

economic and social activity that it once

had. So one of the first studies of the new

Stellar Beginning:

regional plan that RPA embarked on was

a study called Jamaica Center, a study for

the borough of Queens and, indeed, for

all of Long Island.

Never can a regional plan be imposed

on local communities. You need to work

with government, with voluntary organi-

zations, the business community. And so

one of the recommendations of the re-

port was the creation of a local develop-

ment corporation.

Cormier: The original members were

the members of the Chamber, and they

realized that they couldn't do it within

the framework of the Chamber.

Albanese: So we concluded to form

the Greater Jamaica Development Cor-

poration.

Cormier: And that's how Greater Ja-

maica was founded. I happen to have

been fortunate enough to be one of the

original incorporators of Greater Jamaica,

and we were funded to a great extent by

the Lindsay Administration.

Albanese: There was a companion

New York City effort, the office of Ja-

maica Planning and Development that

Mayor Lindsay established, and they set

up a partnership between the two.

Kenneth Patton, Former Deputy Mayor

for Economic Development, Lindsay Admin-

istration: He brought in the top urban

designers and planners and he embraced

planning with enthusiasm and develop-

ment to go with it, because he was of the

same mind as I was. You shouldn't just

make pictures and color maps. You should

bring the capacity to implement them to-

gether.

Albanese: He designated a gentleman

named Andy Maguire to act as his repre-

sentative in Jamaica, which was very

good because we had the mayor's own

man out there beating the bushes with us.

Towery: And thereby created one of

the city's first public-private partnerships,

dedicated to the revitalization of Down-

town Jamaica.

Patton: The first true local economic

development corporation for sub-center

development.

Albanese: And he consulted us to what

our next step would be, and the next step,

we concluded, was to hire an executive

Anderson: Carlisle Towery was a mem-

ber of the Regional Plan Association full

time staff. He was a colleague of mine.

But the people in Jamaica said he is abso-

lutely the best prepared to do this job,

and if you don't allow us, at least on an

interim basis, to have Carlisle, we can't

form the Greater Jamaica Development

Corporation.

Towery: The founders thought a 10-

year project was inevitable. They hired

me for four years, and they said we'll con-

sider renewing you after four years. We

want to see how far we get, but it's a 10-

year project.

Albanese: That was in 1970, and that

10-year relationship has continued to

date. With his leadership and the leader-

ship of the other representatives of the

various stores in Jamaica we undertook

to plan major improvements, such as

transportation and education - and that's

the beginning of the story.

In a separate interview, Towery said

that when he started with GJDC, he was

hired and had half a secretary and an as-

sistant. He was still teaching at Columbia

and the local business leaders did a lot of

the heavy lifting to make sure that GJDC

would get off the ground.

"It started out, in part because of

the budget, from the Fund for the City

of New York, matched with private

contributors like the Long Island Press,

Gertz Store, the Gertz family, Chase

Bank , Manufac tu re r s Hanover , "

Towery said. "There were several busi-

ness leaders, and we did it under the

aegis of the Jamaica Chamber of Com-

merce."

In mentioning Mayor John Lindsay's

role, Towery said the mayor was deeply

involved and had set up a satellite office

in Jamaica, holding cabinet meetings in

Queens.

Another hero, Towery said, was

Queens Borough President Donald

Manes.

Carlisle Towery

Vincent Albanese

Richard Anderson Kenneth Patton

Larry Cormier

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Underpass Project To Lift The GloomBY JOSEPH OROVIC

Nearly a year ago, New York City Eco-

nomic Development Corporation Presi-

dent Seth Pinsky gave a tour of the bor-

ough to members of the local media, show-

casing some of the bigger projects under-

way around the borough.

The day began at Jamaica’s transit hub,

with Pinsky pointing to a dank, depressing

stretch along Sutphin Boulevard, the Long

Island Rail Road clanging overhead. He

promised what was once an eyesore of

garbage loading docks will be transformed

into a stretch of shops, well lit and wel-

coming enough to match the upgraded

side across the street. Work began once

the Greater Jamaica Development Corpo-

ration got its hands on it.

The ground was broken for the Shops at

Station Plaza in December 2008. It will

create 5,500 square feet of retail space,

add new lighting, storefronts, and a new

sidewalk and roadbed. The project was

originally slated to be completed by the

end of this year.

The rejuvenation of the LIRR under-

pass on Sutphin is part of a larger plan for

Downtown Jamaica, one that will see the

languishing neighborhood rejuvenated. By

the time work is done, the EDC expects

the transit hub at Sutphin Boulevard and

Archer Avenue to become a mixed use

commercial district with residential units.

A New Vision:

Today, the underpass is dimly lit and forebod-

ing.

(Right) An artist’s rendering of the rede-

signed underpass.

“Something to look forward to will be

the $100 million infrastructure project in

the Sutphin corridor,” said Justin Rodgers,

Director Economic Development, GJDC.

“That project will consist of retail right

under the Long Island Rail Road under-

pass , and one really strong point that is

incorporated is that we are working really

diligently to attract local subcontractors

and get them work, and get them working

on these projects.”

The Sutphin underpass will be part of a

greater expansion of capacity called

“IMAX” (Inter-modal Enhancements/At-

lantic Avenue Extension), a $98 million

investment from City, State and Federal

sources. IMAX’s goals are to create new

gateways to Downtown Jamaica while

adding 30 new permanent jobs and 580

construction jobs.

The project is a three-phase under-

taking that not only includes Sutphin

Boulevard, but also, the extension of

Atlantic Avenue to connect with 95th

Avenue to improve access to the AirTrain

and LIRR from the Van Wyck Express-

way. The final arm of the project, which

will begin 2011, will realign the intersec-

tion of Archer Avenue and Sutphin Bou-

levard to relieve traffic and improve

streetscape.

The underpass is part of a 368-block

swath of Downtown Jamaica that was

rezoned in 2007. The rezoning called for

the creation of an Airport Village in the

area around the AirTrain. The Sutphin

Boulevard underpass project is the first in

the rezoned area.

According to GJDC, the Sutphin Bou-

levard project will cater to more than

300,000 daily commuters.

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Southeast Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson

pix

Sutphin BID Adopts Families

On Dec. 21, the Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement District held itsfirst Adopt-a-Family corporate breakfast program at the JFK CorporateSquare across from the Air Train Terminal in Downtown Jamaica.

Featured-speaker Yvonne Reddick, Community Board 12 District Manager,and Simone Price, the Director of the Sutphin Boulevard Business Improve-ment District, welcomed arriving guests to the breakfast.

Corporate sponsors and recipients mingle for the camera: (Back Row) JoeGoldbloom from Councilman Leroy Comrie’s staff; sponsor Eon Parks;Linwood Smith of NYC Comptroller John Liu’s staff; George Taitt, Vice-Presi-dent of Capital One Bank; Chris Neville; (Middle Row) Community Board 12District Manager Yvonne Reddick; Signature Bank Vice-President and As-sociate Group Director Elizabeth Forgione; Barbara Neville; DominiqueNeville; Paradise Neville; Sutphin Boulevard Director Simone Price; (Bot-tom Row) Janiece Neville; Janaya Neville; and Jalilil Neville. The Nevillesare one of the program’s family recipients.

Recipient Mehki Littles playing withgifted toys with a program sponsor sonBryce Elliott and recipient Shawn Littles.

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A beaming recipient, Janaya Neville.

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Borough Beat

Queens Educators Support LiteracyBY DAN MILLER

Students, teachers and parents joined

their principal at Barnes & Noble on

Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows re-

cently in a read-a-loud/fundraising pro-

gram.

The highlight of the evening was hear-

ing teachers from PS/IS 178 read their

favorite books to the Holliswood students

who attended the event with their par-

ents in the children’s section of the store.

The adult storytellers had selected

their favorite books to read to the stu-

dents . The program was part of

fundraiser to support children’s literacy

at the school.

Christine Passarella, a second gradeBY DAN MILLER

On Wednesday, Dec. 28, at about noon,

when many workers not on vacation were

preparing for their for lunch break, a 28-

foot truck skidded on an icy segment of

the eastbound Long Island Expressway

adjacent to 156th Street and wound up on

the snowy embankment.

The truck slammed to a halt on a 45-

degree angle from the roadway and ob-

servers feared that the disabled truck

would topple over onto the crowed LIE.

Emergency vehicles from FDNY’s

Tower Ladder Company 52, NYPD

Emergency Highway Services and later

teacher at the school, shared a book about

jazz great John Coltrane titled “Before

John was a Jazz Giant.”

“I have been participating in the

Barnes & Noble book fairs for the past

four years. It really brings the community

together in a special way. It is wonderful

to see the teachers reading aloud to the

children and their parents. We always

have a fun night and it’s for a terrific

cause,” said Passarella.

Special guest readers included teach-

ers Mrs. Simon and Ms. Kletzkin, who

read with great enthusiasm. The event

ended with the new Assistant Principal

Jason Chin and school Principal Jennifer

Ambert also reading to the children.

On the day following the event, each

class at the Holliswood school whose stu-

dents had participated was given a copy

of the book “Snow,” which was read on

the evening before at the book fair by the

Christine Passarella reads “Before John

was a Jazz Giant” to the students.

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school’s principal. Some of the proceeds

from the event wil l go toward the

Holliswood School Book of the Month

program, which distributes a common

book title to all the teachers in the school.

This read-a-loud that included the

school’s teachers and administrators was

part of a month-long book fair during

which parents could purchase new books

at Barnes & Noble and have a percentage

of each purchase donated to the school.

a tow truck from Big

Apple Towing came

to the aid of the ve-

hicle.

Police closed off all

three eastbound lanes

of the LIE until the

tow truck could ma-

neuver the disabled

vehicle off the snow

bank and back onto

the roadway.

When put back on

the road, the truck was

able to be driven away

on its own power.

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The tow vehicle backs up to help free the teetering truck.

A A A A A &&&&& E E E E E

The Louis Armstrong House Museum

announced that cataloging for its three

largest collections is now accessible

through its website,

louisarmstronghouse.org, and that by the

end of 2011, the Museum’s entire catalog

will be online.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum

holds the world’s largest archives devoted

to a single jazz musician. Its collections en-

compass more than 5,000 sound record-

ings, 15,000 photographs, 30 films, 100

scrapbooks, 20 linear feet of letters and

papers and six trumpets. Researchers, record

companies, publishers, film producers, pub-

lic school students and many others rou-

tinely use these materials. Since 1994, more

than a dozen books and recordings have

been published based on research from the

collections, including Terry Teachout’s

Pops, a notable book of 2010.

“The world is more interested than

ever in Louis Armstrong,” said Michael

Cogswell, director of the Museum.

“That’s evident not only from the ever-

increasing number of people from around

the world who visit our Museum, but also

from the number of researchers using our

archives and the great popularity of re-

cent Armstrong films and books.”

The research core of the archives is

the Louis Armstrong Collection, compris-

ing Satchmo’s vast personal trove of

home-recorded tapes, photographs, scrap-

books, manuscript band parts and other

materials discovered inside his modest

house in Corona, after his

wife, Lucille, passed away in

1983. A grant from the Louis

Armstrong Educational

Foundation made possible

the Museum’s acquisition of

the world’s largest private

collection of Armstrong ma-

terial from Jack Bradley,

Armstrong’s friend and a

noted jazz photographer. As

might be expected, a strength

of this collection lies in the

hundreds of candid, previ-

ously unpublished photo-

graphs taken or collected by

Bradley over five decades.

The collections are currently

housed in the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Li-

brary at Queens College.

“One of our most common reference

questions is, ‘What kind of trumpet did

Louis Armstrong play?’ Now, anybody,

anywhere in the world 24/7, can simply

go on the web to learn the make, model

and serial numbers and to see photos of

Louis’s own gold-plated trumpets,” said

Cogswell.

The work of processing the Jack Bra-

dley Collection and publishing the

Museum’s catalog online is being funded

in part by a $105,384, two-year grant from

the Museums for America program of the

Institute of Museum and Library Services

(IMLS). The institute is the primary

source of federal support for the nation’s

123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums;

its mission is to create strong libraries and

museums that connect

people to information

and ideas.

“Thanks to the vision

and generosity of the

Louis Armstrong Educa-

tional Foundation, we

have been able to build a

world-renowned re -

search archives,” said

Cogswell. “And now,

thanks to this IMLS

grant, our catalog will be

online for everyone to

peruse and enjoy.”

After receiving the

grant from IMLS in Oc-

tober 2009, the Museum

launched a national search for a project

archivist. Ricky Riccardi, a well-known

Armstrong expert, was hired and he has

spent every workday for the past fifteen

months arranging, preserving and catalog-

ing more than 200 cubic feet of Armstrong

material.

“Working with this collection has been

an absolute dream come true, but getting

to share it online with other Armstrong

lovers from around the world really makes

this something special. And it’s not just

for Armstrong experts; the online cata-

log will appeal to music fans, art histori-

ans, 20th-century pop culture buffs, musi-

cians, photographers, you name it,” said

Riccardi. “There’s something for every-

one.”

Jazz History Lives On Through Web

Satchmo and all his works will be

available for perusal on the Web.

Restaurant Review

A Taste Of Mykonos

Mykonos Restaurant

37 Great Neck Road, Great Neck

(516) 773-8010

CUISINE: Greek

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

am-11 pm; Sat 4-11 pm; Sun 4-10 pm

PARKING: Street

RESERVATIONS: Accepted

CREDIT CARDS: Accepted

After a long day at work, a belly full of

Greek food was just what the doctor or-

dered. Eagerly anticipating far more than

I alone could eat, a guest and I ventured

out for a late dinner on a Monday evening.

Upon entering, Greek music fills the

air. We are quickly seated by our waiter

at a table set for two. Despite our post-

dinner rush arrival, the restaurant was

dotted with friends and family eating in

twos and fours.

As I study the thick leather menu, I

take a moment to look around.

The interior is simple, with clean

lines, white tablecloths and walls deco-

rated by Mediterranean seascapes.

Large windows and lush potted plants

lend an air of the exotic, so don’t be

surprised if you forget where you are.

To start off, we choose a very healthy

assortment of our favorite appetizers.

As a big fan of anything that can be

spread on pita bread, I narrowly avoided

devouring the homemade Hummus and

tangy Tzatziki (their yogurt is imported

from Greece).

I tentatively tried the Mussels, which,

sautéed in red wine and tomato sauce

with feta cheese, leave the fishy taste

completely behind.

Calamari is like pizza. Everybody’s

got it, and it’s usually okay. The

Kalamarakia Tiganita, seasoned with fen-

nel and lightly pan fried, is better than

most. The hint of fennel, brought out by

fresh-squeezed lemon, was just right.

As a seasoned falafel maker, I am a

critical judge. Mykonos offers what

might be my new East Coast favorite.

The thick falafel is a three- or four-bite

affair, and more lightly fried than many.

Never mind the dipping sauce, these

falafel are all about what’s inside – well-

spiced, creamy goodness, with a blend

of flavors that I could not identify. Don’t

forget to try it with the Tzatziki.

Spanakopita, spinach, feta cheese,

herbs and spices wrapped in f laky filo

dough, is my favorite way to eat spin-

ach and left nothing to be desired.

Rounding out our appetizers was,

Saganaki, imported Greek

kefalograviera cheese, pan seared in ol-

ive oil. What can I say about the

Saganaki? It’s fried cheese. How could

it NOT be good?

Already well stuffed, we dug into a

Roka Salad – arugula, walnuts and

shaved parmesan cheese drizzled in ol-

ive oil and balsamic vinegar. This salad

is all about the combination. Although

it can be a challenge, try to get every-

thing on one fork. The yummy mouth-

ful will make it worth the effort.

Not sure if I had room for the main

course, I managed several delicate bites

of the Mousaka, baked layers of egg-

plant, potato and sautéed ground meat

topped with béchamel sauce. The strong

taste of cinnamon, with the savory

meat, was a mouthwatering combina-

tion that I, sadly, could not finish.

My guest devoured his

Thalasomezes, char-grilled shrimp, oc-

topus and calamari. Pausing only to

comment that it was good and make the

token offer of a bite, I took that as a

sign of his approval and recommend that

you do the same.

The highlight of the meal was clearly

dessert. One of my all time favorites,

we chose Baklava, layers of filo dough

with walnuts in honey syrup, and

whipped cream on the side. Beautifully

plated and big enough to share, their

Baklava is lighter than many. Not

drenched in honey syrup (though

there’s nothing wrong with that), a

strong taste of cinnamon, combined

with the walnut filing, is culinary nir-

vana.

With prices that range from $6.50-

$13.95 for an appetizer, and $11.95-$29

for an entrée, make the drive. It’s worth it.

–Jessica Ablamsky

Based on Cuban and Puerto Rican folk-

lore, “La Cucarachita Martina/Martina, the

Little Roach” tells a comical tale of a little

roach who, in her journey towards finding

love, finds happiness and friendship.

The tale will come to the Thalia Span-

ish Theater for one performance on Jan. 8.

With the use of colorful bunrakú pup-

petry, designed by Puerto Rican master

puppeteer José López, children will be

transported into a rich, dream-like world

where they interact with the characters

and understand the communication of

animals through the use of playful sounds.

Audiences of all ages are sure to enjoy

the Rock and Latin sounds that create this

enchanting musical tale, which will be of-

fered in both Spanish and English.

After the show The Three Kings will

visit Thalia to give presents to the children

in this delightful Latino holiday tradition.

Tickets are $10 for children, $12 for

adults. Thalia Spanish Theatre is located

at 41-17 Greenpoint Ave, Sunnyside. For

information or tickets, call (718) 729-

3880 or go to thaliatheatre.org.

2011 looks to be a busy year at Thalia as

well. The National Endowment for the Arts

has awarded the theater a grant to support

its World Premiere of “You Tango?” an in-

Folklore Roach Tale

Settles In At Thalia

teractive musical celebrating the greatest

hits of Tango, featuring one of the world’s

finest tango musicians and composers:

Maestro Raul Jaurena (2007 Latin Grammy

Winner). The show also will star Marga

Mitchell and El Pulpo (last seen on our stage

in our 2001 hit “All That Tango”), dancers

Sara and Ivan, and many more. It will run

from Jan. 29 to March 20, 2011.

Meanwhile, back in Sunnyside, Thalia

will co-produce “Flamenco & Indian Mu-

sic & Dance,” with Andrea Del Conte

Danza España and Lotus Music and

Dance, on April 1, 2 and 3. Later in the

spring, in May and June, Thalia will pro-

duce the bilingual world premiere of “No

Problemo, Amigo,” a comedy written by

Jaime Espinal, winner of the Inter Ameri-

can Development Bank’s inaugural His-

panic-American Playwriting Competition.

The play is performed in English, Span-

ish, and “Spanglish.” The protagonist,

played by Jaime Espinal, is an office worker

by day, superhero by night, who comes to

the U.S. to work for an agency that links

exchange students with host families. It is

fun, funny and relevant, especially in light

of the endless debate about immigration.

Projections onstage will help everyone

navigate between the languages.

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Faith

NotebookYork College

Century-Old Church Tackles Bible

Word“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the

words and sentences that in your reading have

been like the blast of triumph out of Shakespeare,

Seneca, Moses, John and Paul.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

The exclamation point in the York Col-

lege play, “Istwa!” denotes excitement and

that is exactly what Istwa! does – elicits

excitement from audiences both young

and grown wherever it is performed.

Adapted and directed by York College

professor Tom Marion and a team of stu-

dents, the play, based on four classic fairy

tales, opened at the College’s Little The-

atre in October 2010 to rave reviews.

But Dr. Lindamichelle Baron, a pro-

fessor in the Department of Teacher Edu-

cation, suggested to Marion that the play

should be taken on the road to area el-

ementary schools. Fast forward to Dec.

18 and Marion and 12 student performers

took the excitement with them to PS 40

in the York neighborhood, to the delight

of the K-5 set.

The hour-long production features

Theatre Arts majors as well as Education

and other majors, enrolled at York and

was developed in their Theatre Practice

class. Professor Marion picked the multi-

cultural folktales and the students adapted

the action and dialogue. The cast’s cul-

tural sensibilities of character and wry

modern wit made for a unique and charm-

ing creation of each story.

All the action takes place on a carpet

with no props. “The only ingredient

needed is the imagination,” said Marion,

who explained that the method

known as “story theatre” was devel-

oped in the 1960s. Marion became

interested in the art form while a the-

atre student under Joseph Hart, a

now retired professor from Rutgers

University.

Some of students in the play were

first-time performers, but they did not

disappoint. “They jumped right in

and learned what it is to build an en-

semble and what it means to dedi-

cate themselves physically, vocally,

York Theater Brings Show To PS 40and imaginatively

to create a script

that embodies a

river, a chair,” he

said.

Narrated in part

by York Theatre

veteran Joseph

Grasso, an upper

senior with plans

for law school, the

show mesmerized

the children at PS

40. According to

York students, the

joy was mutual.

“It makes me

more open to the

public,” said The-

atre Arts major

Arinze Nwogu, also an upper senior ap-

plying to graduate school at NYU. “It

makes me more sociable and be a kid

again. It was amazing. The kids enjoyed

us. They had fun. It made them enjoy sto-

ries. It was like educational TV.”

Angelica Johnson felt the love as well.

“It is much different playing for the

kids,” said Johnson, an Education major

in her junior year. “Some jokes the adults

Performers from York bring their energetic performance to PS 40.

The students, clearly, enjoyed the presentation.

at York laughed at and the kids did not;

and some the kids got and the adults did

not.”

But the play isn’t just about laughter.

In the jest were kernels of truth, which

was not lost on the children.

At the end of the play they were asked

what they got from the presentation. One

little girl summed it up: “’We learned that

it is important to be kind,’” she said.

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BY SASHA AUSTRIE

The Presbyterian Church of St. Albans,

always a hub of activity, is once again

opening its doors to lure the faithful.

On Jan. 5, the church is hosting a Bible

literacy program. Randy Frazee, senior

minister of Oak Hills Church in San Anto-

nio, Texas, and creator of The Story

Church-wide Experience, will be the guest

speaker at the event. It will from 1-2 p.m.

at 190-04 119th Ave.

The discussion will include, the church’s

“dirty little secret;” why people have the

perception that the Bible isn’t accessible and

how Frazee sought to move his

congregants’ Bible illiteracy to engagement.

For more than 100 years, the church

has been a staple in the St. Albans com-

munity.

Presbyterian Church of St. Albans grew

out of cottage prayer meetings. In 1898,

the year before the town of St. Albans

was officially named, a group of Chris-

tians started holding Wednesday evening

meetings in their houses.

Although the foundation was laid well

before there was a building to house the

spirit of the church, people worshipped in

the Community Hall built in 1903, which

is now the First Church of God in Christ.

The cornerstone known as the Presby-

terian Church of St. Albans was built in

1907.

The church stands as a symbol of its

resilience. Rev. Edward Davis said the

church has had three reconfigurations

since it has been built. Since he has taken

the helm as pastor, there have been

10,000 additional square feet.

Davis said the spirit of the church has

lasted a full century.

PR

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The Presbyterian Church of St. Albans is hosting a Bible literacy program on Jan. 5.

“This church was founded March 5,

1907, by mothers and fathers in St. Albans

and the main thrust was focusing on the

children,” Davis said. “That same spirit

has penetrated every aspect of the 100

years. There is a great interest in young

people and youth.”

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

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

Ext. 123.

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Profile

Wills’Agenda Coming Into FocusBY SASHA AUSTRIE

It is mid afternoon on a Thursday and

the City Council office on Guy R. Brewer

Boulevard is rife with activity. An unfurled

banner hangs in the front window. The

address may be the same, but the inhabit-

ant is definitely different.

For months, the future of the 28th

Council District has hinged on a Nov. 2

special election. Who would win the

people’s vote? What programs would be

implemented to solve the ills of the dis-

trict? Who could build on the late Coun-

cilman Tom White’s legacy?

With 36 percent of the vote, the

people chose Ruben Wills. He contends

that his current role in public office is a

mere extension of his community activist

role.

His victory came after his third politi-

cal campaign: Wills ran for Congress in

2008; in 2009, he challenged White; and

in 2010, he captured the district.

“I love it,” he said of his new post. “I

really think I was created to do this.”

Asked about building on White’s

legacy, Wills is mum. Lupe Todd, Wills’

spokeswoman, said the comparison is

unfair.

“What he is trying to do is forge his

own path,” she said.

Whether or not he will have White’s

longevity remains to be seen, but Wills

was appointed as chairman if the Sub-

committee on Drug Abuse. White was the

executive director of J-CAP, a drug reha-

bilitation program.

A month into his term,

Wills has wasted little

time. He set up shop in

White’s old office at 137-

42 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.,

as his office at Sutphin

Boulevard and 95th

Street is being readied.

On his agenda is the

educational future of stu-

dents in his district, the

foreclosure crisis and get-

ting a grasp on the other

issues plaguing the dis-

trict.

Wills has established a

Distance Learning Pro-

gram with 10 elementary

schools in the district. The

program uses video

conferencing to allow in-

teraction between stu-

dents and teachers in other schools. Wills

said the partnership was forged with

NASA.

By next year, he hopes to involve the

middle schools and eventually high

schools.

“These kids can conceivably talk to

people in China,” he said. “Imagine our

kids talking to astronauts on the space

station.”

Continuing on the

educational front, Wills

is hoping to save PS 30,

a school the Dept. of

Education has slated for

phase out. A town hall

is currently set for 6:30

p.m. on Jan. 13 at the

school.

Another issue on his

schedule is the bevy of

foreclosures in South-

east Queens neighbor-

hoods. He is drafting

the Good Neighbor bill,

which would not in itself

staunch foreclosures,

but it would force banks

to secure a home as

soon as the renter or

homeowner leaves the

property.

Wills said the bill

would levy fines against entities not in

compliance, and instead of the penalties

being stored in a general pool, the mon-

ies would be used to shore up the aban-

doned home and provide legal aid for

those engrossed in foreclosures.

Wills is also co-sponsoring a water lien

bill, which would stop liens from being

sold on to one-, two- and three-family

homes. He said Councilmen Leroy

Comrie (D-St. Albans) and Eric Ulrich

(R-Ozone Park) have pledged their sup-

port.

Though the bill would give a reprieve

to those that have a balance on their state-

ment, it does not forgive the debt. Liens

would go into effect after three years with

an outstanding balance of $1,000.

“It is just something for people to get

on their feet,” he said.

Wills is also planning five listening

tours across the district. “We want to paint

a total picture of the district and what we

want to work on.”

Along with the listening tours, Wills is

working with Ulrich to setup an immigra-

tion town hall. He said the meeting will

deal with everything from permanent resi-

dency to citizenship.

Both Todd and Wills contend that his

tenure will not be marked by separatist

politics.

“I’m not hear to deal with the non-

sense or divisive groupies,” he said.

“[People] deserve someone who is going

to fight for their services.”

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

Councilman Ruben Wills

Queens TodaySECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send typed announcementsfor your club or

organization’s events atleast TWO weeks in

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

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

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

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS

SCRABBLE CLUBSaturdays at 10 at CountBasie Jr. HS, 132nd Street andGuy R. Brewer Blvd. 886-5236.PET OWNERSSundays (not on holidays)from 1-4 free workshops onpet behavior at CrocheronPark in Bays ide (weatherpermitting). 454-5800.CREATIVE WRITINGMonday, January 3 at theSeaside library at 2.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.ENGLISH CONV.Mondays , January 3 , 10Eng l i sh Conver sa t ionGroups at the Bellerose li -brary. Register.ADULT CHESSMondays and Thursdays atthe Queens Village library at5:30.JIC JOB INFOMonday, January 3 at theCentral library at 7.COMPUTER CLASSTuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe Arverne library at 10.COMPUTER CLASSTuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe Sunnyside library. Reg-ister.BASIC COMPUTERTuesday, January 4 at theLIC library at 11.BEGINNER COMPUTERTuesday, January 4 at theSouth Jamaica library Regis-ter .ADULT SCRABBLETuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe Fresh Meadows libraryat 1.LIC CRAFT CLUBTuesday, January 4 at theLIC library at 1.INTRO COMPUTERSTuesday, January 4 at theMaspeth library at 1.LEARN TO DRAWTuesday, January 4 at theHillcrest library. Register.KNIT & CROCHETTuesdays at the WindsorPark library at 2.SCRABBLE CLUBTuesdays at the East Flush-ing library at 3:30.OPEN BRIDGETuesdays at 8 at the ForestHills Jewish Center. Call 263-7000 for fees.CHAIR YOGATuesday, January 4 at theEast Elmhurst library. Regis-ter .DUPLICATE BRIDGEWednesdays 10:30-3:00 atthe Reform Temple of For-est Hi l l s . $12 sess ion, in -cludes light lunch. 261-2900.WATERCOLOR CLASSWednesdays at 9:30 at NAL.Tradit ional and contempo-rary, all levels. 969-1128.INDOOR SOCCER – DADSWednesday evenings at theForest Hills Jewish Center.263-7000.ART LEAGUEStarting January 5 Explora-tions in Abstraction: UsingWatercolor and Mixed Me-dia from 1-4 at the NationalArt League in Douglaston.$100 for 4 classes. 516-223-7659.INTERMEDIATE COMP.Thursday, January 6 at theLIC library at 10.INTRO COMPUTERSThursday, January 6 at the

Pomonok library. Register.US CITIZENSHIPThursdays, January 6, 13Pathway to US Citizenshipat the E lmhurst l ibrary at5:30.QUILTING CLASSESThursdays 10-2 at the MariaRose Dol l Museum in S t .Albans. 917-817-8653 to reg-ister.OPEN BRIDGEThursdays from 8-10pm atthe Forest Hills Jewish Cen-ter . $12 per p layer . 275 -6615 to register.CHESS CLUBThursdays at the East Flush-ing library. Register.KNIT & CROCHETThursdays a t the F reshMeadows library at 6.KNITTING CLUBFridays at the Maspeth li-brary at 10.KNIT & CROCHETFridays at the Fresh Mead-ows library at 10:30.COMPUTER CLASSFridays, January 7, 14 atthe Middle Vil lage l ibrary.Register .SCRABBLEFridays Bananagrams andScrabble at the Windsor Parklibrary at 2:30.FM POETSSaturday, January 8 FreshMeadows Poets meet to dis-cuss their work at 10 at theForest Hills library.RESUME WRITINGSaturday, January 8 at theLIC library at 10:30.CAREER POTENTIALSaturday, January 8 at theCentral library at 2.COMPUTER CLASSMonday, January 10 at theFresh Meadows library. Reg-ister.JOB INFO SERVICESMonday, January 10 at theMiddle Village library. Reg-ister.CRAFT CLUBMonday, January 10 at theLIC library at 6.BALLROOM DANCINGMonday, January 10 at theForest Hills library at 6:30.INTRO E-MAILTuesday, January 11 at theQueens Village library. Reg-ister.WRITER’S WORKSHOPThursday, January 13 at theBayside library. Register.SIGN LANGUAGEThursday, January 13 at Al-l ey Pond Env i ronmenta lCenter. 229-4000 to regis-ter. For the entire family.JIC JOB INFOSaturday, January 15 at theCentral library at 11.POETRY WRITINGTuesday, Januar y 18 a tBa rnes & Nob le , 176 -60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows at 7:30.NOOK NIGHTWednesday, January 19 atBa rnes & Nob le , 176 -60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows at 7.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGSaturday, January 22 a tWes ley Uni ted Methodis tChurch in Franklin Square.516-872-8062.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGSunday, January 30 from 9-3:30 at the Forest Hills Jew-ish Center. $50. 263-7000to register.

JH ART CLUBClasses in all art forms daysand evenings for chi ldrenand adults. 899-0065.WOMEN’S NETWORKThe Queens Women’s Net-work can help with resumeass i s t ance , t yp ing andMic roso f t tu to r i a l s , j obsearch, interviewing tech-niques, GED and ESL classes,re fe r ra l s to t r a in ing p ro -grams. 657-6200.BAYVIEW BRIDGETuesdays (except July andAugust) Bayview Bridge Clubmeets at 6 at the Church ofthe Resur rec t ion , 100 -1732nd Avenue, East Elmhurst.ART CLASSESChildren and adults, day andevening, Monday throughSa tu rday. 926 -9821 .www.jacksonheightsartclub.org

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIE & TALKMondays the F r iends o fPomonok present a movieand discussion. Bring lunch.1 at the Pomonok library.BINGOTuesdays at 7:15 at Ameri-can Martyrs Church, churchbasement , 216 -01 Un ionTurnp ike , Bays ide . 464 -4582. Tuesdays at 7:15(doors open 6) at the RegoPark Jewish Center, 97-30Queens Blvd. 459-1000.$3admis s ion inc ludes 12games.SYMPHONY 101Saturday, January 8 at 1 atthe Forest Hills and at 3 atthe Sunnyside l ibrary. Per-formance/workshop aboutthe different instruments inthe traditional symphonic or-chestra. For the entire fam-ily.KAISSASunday, January 9 African,reggae, jazz, R&B, makossaand Brazilian fusion music byKaissa at 3 at the Central li-brary.TROUBLED WATERMonday, January 10 show-ing of the film “Troubled Wa-ter” with English subtitles anddiscussion at 2 at the FreshMeadows library.OPEN MIC POETRYMonday, January 10 at 7:30at Barnes & Noble, 176-60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows.FAMILY GAME NIGHTMonday, January 10 at theSouth Jamaica library at 6.DINO ROSITuesday, January 11 con-cert of international songswi th D ino Ros i a t theAuburndale library at 3.KIDS’ CHOIRThursday, January 13 NYHospital Queens will host theSt. Francis Prep Children’sChoir from 3-4 in the LangAuditorium for a free con-cert. 670-1211 to register.ZOMBIE!Thursday, January 13 use ofzombies in literature, mediaand film at the Pomonok li-brary at 6.MLK JR.Friday, January 14 A Com-munity Conversation aboutthe legacy o f Dr . Mar t inLu the r K ing J r . a t theLangston Hughes library at7 .MLK JR.Saturday, Januar y 15 Tri-Boro Intergenerational Ser-vices of Jamaica invites all toan afternoon of reflectionsand entertainment at theirannual celebration dedicatedto the Life and Legacy of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. at 2at the Merrick Park BaptistChurch , 120 -02 B i shopCurtis G. Norton, Sr. Drive(Marsden Street), Jamaica.276-5039 information. Freewill offering.CON BRIO ENSEMBLESaturday, January 15 at theFlushing library at 2.,ASTRONOMYSaturday, January 15 from7-9 at Alley Pond Environ-mental Center. 229-4000 toregister. $12 adult, $7 chil-dren.LAS POSADASSaturday, January 15 Ra-dio Jarocho celebrates Las

Posadas at 3 at the Elmhurstlibrary.AMERICAN HEARTLANDSaturday , January 15Claremont Strings presentsMus ic o f the Amer icanHeartland at 3 at the JacksonHeights library.OPEN MICSunday, January 16 at theCentral library at 2.MLK JR.Sunday, January 16 ClergyUnited for Communit y Em-powerment, Inc. presents acelebration service of com-memoration for the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. at 5at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church,202-03 Hollis Avenue.CON BRIO ENSEMBLESunday, January 16 at 4:30at Church in the Gardens,50 Ascan Avenue , Fores tHills. $12.GUITAR NIGHTSunday, January 16 Inter-na t iona l Gu i ta r N igh t a tQueens Theatre in the Park.760-0064 tickets.CON BRIO ENSEMBLESaturday, January 22 at 2at the Langston Hughes li -brary.CONCERTISunday, January 23 youngvir tuos i take the stage toper fo rm a p rog ram o fconcerti with orchestra. Allages. 997-3888.GOLDILOCKSSaturday , January 29Goldi locks and the ThreeBears at Queens Theatre inthe Park. 760-0064.BACK TO THE 60SSaturday, January 29 RonDante , Sonny Gerac i andDennis Tufano per form atQueensborough Commu-nity College. 631-6311.COFFEEHOUSEFebruary 5 at the Forest HillsJewish Center. 263-7000.TANGO BUENOS AIRESSunday , February 20 a tQueensborough Commu-nity College. 631-6311.

DANCE

ISRAELI FOLKMondays 7:15 -10 :00 a tHillcrest Jewish Center, 182-02 Union Turnpike. $10 ses-s ion. 380-4145. Mondays7:30-9:30 at Kowalinski Post4, 61-57 Maspeth Avenue.$5. Cake and coffee. 565-2259 . Wednesdays 7:30 -9:00 at ANIBIC Center, 212-12 26th Avenue, Bayside (BayTer race Shopp ing Centerupper l eve l ) . 939 -4936 .Thursdays 7-9 in the base-ment of Ascension Church,55th Avenue and Van Horn,Elmhurst. $5. 848-482-0153.

HEALTH

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS7 days a week. 932-6244.www.westernqueensna.org.WAITANKUNGSundays at 2. Waitankung isa great total-body workout.Join these ancient Chineseexercise classes in the Flush-ing Hospital/Medical Centerauditorium on 45th Avenuebe tween Pa r sons andBurling. Free. Jimmy 7-10pm347-2156 information.TAI CHIMondays and Thursdays at11 at the Card iac Heal thCenter in Fresh Meadows.670-1695. $5 a class.CHAIR YOGATuesday, January 4 at theEast Elmhurst library. Regis-ter .YOGA TALKTuesday, January 4 JamieEhrenthal, a certified instruc-tor of yoga, speaks at theRe fo rm Temple o f Fo re stHills, 71-11 112th Street at8:30. Free.YOGA DANCETuesdays 4:30-5:30 at theCard iac Heal th Center inFresh Meadows. 670-1948.$10 class.CAREGIVERS SUPPORTEver y Tuesday We ste rnQueens Caregiver Networkin Sunnyside. 784-6173, ext.431.OAThursdays a t the HowardBeach library at 10:30.MEMORY LOSSFridays Couples with onepar tne r exper ienc ingmemory loss meet a t theSamuel Field Y. 225-6750,ext. 236.OAFridays 6:30-8:30 at UnityCenter of F lushing, 42-11155 th S t ree t . Saturdays10:30-noon at ResurrectionAscension, Feely Hall, 85-1861st Road, Rego Park. Be-ginners meeting except thelast Friday of each month,which is a writing meeting.CO-DEPENDENTS ANON.Fridays 10-11:45 at Resur-rection Ascension PastoralCente r , 85 -18 61 st Road ,Rego Park. Women only.BLOOD DRIVESunday, January 9 blooddr i ve f rom 9 :30 -1 :30 a tTemple Tikvah, 3315 HillsideAvenue, New Hyde Park.

EXHIBIT

QUEENS HISTORICALTuesdays , Sa turdays andSundays 2:30-4:30 new ex-hibit “For Love of the Games:A H i s to ry o f Spor t s i nQueens,” Queens HistoricalSociety at Kingsland Home-stead, 144-35 37th avenue,Flushing. 939-0647, ext. 17.$2 seniors and students, $3adults.AMER. CIVIL RIGHTSThrough January “A JourneyI Stone and Wood,” sculp-tures by Gladys ThompsonRoth . February th roughApril “Bindu Masks from theImperato Collection.” Febru-ary through June “QCC ArtGallery: 20 Years of Collect-ing.” QCC Art Gallery. 631-6396.AFGHANISTANThrough January 13 “Win-dows and Mirrors: The Warin A fghan i s tan” a t theGodwin-Ternbach Museumat Queens College.NAL STUDENTSJanuary 3-29 National ArtLeague Students’ Art Exhibi-t ion a t the league, 44 -21Douglaston Parkway. Mondaythrough Thursday 1-4 andweekends 1-3. Free.FLUSHING COUNCILThrough September 2011“Within the Emperor’s Gar-den : ” The Ten ThousandSprings Pavilion.” ThroughNovember 14 “EndangeredArt/ists: China.” November19 through January 7 “Ko-rean Painting Exhibition: AWalk Through Nature.” Per-manen t d i sp l ays i nc lude“Jazz Live!”, “Flushing TownHall:” Fact or Folklore,” anhistorical exhibition on Flush-ing Town Hall and its placein history, “Legends of theQueens Jazz Trail” 463-7700.

MEETINGS

BEREAVEMENTNew bereavement g roupforming at the Forest HillsJewish Center . 263-7000,ext. 223 for information.FRESH MEADOW CAMERATuesdays the Fresh Mead-ows Camera C lub meets .917-612-3463.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue.CENTRAL ROTARYThursdays 6:30-8:30 Comelearn i f Rotary is for you.465-2914; me1nc@aol.comCIVIL AIR PATROLFridays 6-10 at Vaughn Col-lege of Aeronautics, 86-0123rd Avenue, East Elmhurst.WOMAN’S GROUPFridays the Woman’s Groupof Jamaica Estates meets atnoon. Call 461-3193.UNITED 40SThursday , January 13United Forties Civic Associa-tion, Inc. meets at St. TeresaPar i sh Center , 50 -22 45th

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Queens Today

RELIGIOUS

FOREST HILLSSunday, January 9 ShivaMinyan Breakfast at 9, aftermorning Minyan. $10. RSVPby January 6. Thursdays Tal-mud Class following Morn-ing Minyan. $10 non-mem-bers. Forest Hills Jewish Cen-ter. 263-7000, ext. 200.MLK JR.Sunday, January 16 ClergyUnited for Communit y Em-powerment, Inc. presents acelebration service of com-memoration for the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. at 5at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church,202-03 Hollis Avenue.

MISCELLANEOUS

CANNED FOOD DRIVEThrough Saturday, January8 at the Hillcrest library.

TALKS

PARENTS

SINGLES

THEATER

BOARD OF TRUSTEESJanuary 5, February 2, May4, June 1 the RenaissanceCharter School’s Board ofTrustees meet at 6:30. 803-0060.ADHD OR PDDDaily after school programsto meet the needs of elemen-tary school aged chi ldrenwho have learning disabili-ties and ADHD or PDD at theBay Terrace Center, 212-0023rd Avenue, Bayside from2:30-6:00. 225-6750, ext .266.ANIBICAssociation for Neurologi-cally Impaired Brain InjuredChildren, Inc. sponsors pro-grams inc lud ing SaturdayPlay Group (5-17), Tutorial (5to adult), Weekend Respite(17+), Young Adult Program(17+) and Adult Respite Pro-gram (21+). 423-9550, ext.243.KIDS KORNERAfter School Center is at theCentral Queens YM-YWHAin Forest Hi l l s . 268-5011,ext. 201. Extended hours.PLAYGROUPThe CUMC Playgroup is ac-cepting registration for itspreschool parents’ coopera-tive program in Middle Vil-lage. Children 18 months to4 years are e l ig ib le . 894-2293.SCHOOL HELPFree school help for studentsof all ages, parents and teach-ers. FreeSchoolHelp.comSPECIAL NEEDSDay Camp Program for chil-dren with special needs, in-cluding autism and mentalretardat ion at the SamuelField Y in Little Neck. 225-6750, ext. 259.TOUGH LOVETuesdays a t 7 :30 p .m .Toughlove International Par-ent Support Group for par-ents of out-of-control chil -dren (teens, pre-teens andadult children) meet at IS158in Bayside. 393-7788.

SINGLES SOCIAL & DANCESundays , January 2 , 30 ,February 13, 27 singles so-cial and dance from 2-6. $10.Over 45. Rego Park JewishCenter, 97-30 Queens Blvd.,Rego Park. 459-1000.

AUBURNDALEMonday, January 3 “TheLast Time I Saw You” will bed i scussed a t 2 a t theAuburndale library.STEINWAYMonday, January 3 at theSteinway library at 6:30.RICHMOND HILLThursday, January 6 “Yearsof Wonders: A Novel of thePlague” will be discussed at3 at the Richmond Hil l l i -brary.CYBER BULLYINGThursday, January 6 at theRidgewood library. Register.EAST ELMHURSTThursday, January 6 at theEast Elmhurst library at 6.ST. ALBANSThursday, January 6 “Prodi-gal” will be discussed at 6:30at the St. Albans library.FLUSHINGFriday, January 7 “Every-thing Is Illuminated” will bediscussed at 1 at the Flush-ing library. Film at 2.WINDSOR PARKMonday, January 10 “Hotelon the Corner of Bitter andSweet” will be discussed at2 at the Windsor Park library.NYS LABOR LAWSMonday, January 10 Under-standing NY State Labor Lawat 6:30 at the Jackson Heightslibrary.SEASIDEMonday, January 10 “IslandBeneath the Sea” will be dis-

KILLING KOMPANYFriday, February 4 “Murderby Marriage” at Riccardo’sin Astoria. The Killing Com-pany performs mystery din-ner shows. 1-888-SHOOT-EM for information.

cussed at 6:30 at the Seasidelibrary.WHITESTONETuesday, January 11 “OliveKitteridge” will be discussedat 1 at the Whitestone l i -brary.HILLCRESTTuesday, January 11 “TheAssistant” will be discussedat 2 at the Hillcrest library.GLENDALEThursday, January 13 “TheAwaken ing” w i l l be d i s -cussed at 6:30 at the Glen-dale library.WINDSOR PARKThursday, January 13 “TheDiscomfort Zone: A PersonalHistory” will be discussed at6:30 at the Windsor Park li-brary.MYSTERY BOOKSaturday, January 15 Para-normal/Mystery Book Clubmeets at the LIC library at3:30.MOVIES & MUSICMonday, January 17 bookdiscussion focused on titleswith strong ties to music andmovies. “Love Is A Mix Tape:

Life and Loss, One Song at aTime” wil l be discussed at7:30 at Barnes & Noble, 176-60 Union Turnpike , FreshMeadows.

ADOPTION DAYSaturdays 11-2 Adopt ionDay for Cats and Kittens atPet Edibles, 254-07 NorthernBlvd., Little Neck.ADOPTION DAYSundays 11-4 Adopt a home-less dog, cat or kitten at theAnimal Center of Queens, ano-kill organization at 89-10E l io t Avenue , Rego Park .www.acq.pet finder.comADULT CHOIRMost Fridays the Adult Choiro f Temp le Be th Sho lommeets at 7. 172nd Street andNorthern Blvd., Flushing.AUXILIARY OFF.The 105th Precinct Commu-nity Council invites all inter-ested in becoming an Auxil-iary Police Officer to contact776-9268.BARBERSHOPWednesdays the Queenschapter of the BarbershopHarmony Societ y meets atthe school hall, 175-20 74th

Avenue, Flushing. 381-8689.COMMUNITY SINGERSMondays through May theCommun i t y S inge r s o fQueens, Inc. rehearses atMessiah Lutheran Church,42-15 165th Street, Flushing.New members we lcome .658-1021.FOOD PANTRYFr idays Grace Ep i scopa lChurch, 14-15 Clintonvil leStreet, Whitestone, from 10-11. 767-6305.FH VACThe Forest Hil ls VolunteerAmbulance Corps needs vol-unteers. They wil l sponsoryou for a NYS EMT course atno cost to you once youqualif y. 793-2055. Monetarydonations also needed POBox 750617, Fores t H i l l s11375.

SENIORS

STAY WELLMondays at 10 at the Cen-tral library. Tuesdays at 2 atthe F lu sh ing l i b ra ry andWednesdays at 10 at theEast Elmhurst library. Specialexercises and relaxation tech-niques.STARSWednesdays, January 5, 12at 10:30 at the Hollis libraryand Fridays, January 7, 14at 10:30 at the Queens Vil-lage library. Senior TheaterActing Repertory meets.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue . Newmembers welcome.AARP 1405Mondays, January 10, 24Flushing AARP Chapter 1405meets at the Bowne StreetCommunity Church, 143-11Roosevelt Avenue at 1. Newmembers welcome.

ONGOING

YOUTHTEENS

CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flushinglibrary at 2.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.COLLEGE BOUNDMonday, January 3 gettingfinancial aid, SAT exams andmore at 4 at the Central li-brary.MANGA CLUBMondays, January 3, 10 atthe Peninsula library at 4.LAPTOPS FOR TEENSMondays-Fridays, January 3-7, 10-14 at the Hollis libraryat 4:30.BOOK BUDDIESTuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe Hillcrest library at 3:30.CHESS & CHECKERSTuesdays, January 4, 11 at4 at the LIC libraryDUNGEONS & DRAGONSTuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe Baisley Park library. Reg-ister.CHESSWednesdays at 3:30 at theQueens Village library.TEEN GAMESWednesdays, January 5, 12at the Central library at 4.GRAPHIC NOVELISTWednesday, January 5 at 4at the Far Rockaway library.Meet and learn from graphicnovelist and children’s bookauthor Neil Numberman inthis art workshop.GAME DAYWednesdays, January 5, 12at the St. Albans library at 4.TEEN GAME DAYWednesdays, January 5, 12at the Kew Gardens Hills li-brary at 4:30.GIRL SCOUTSThursday, January 6 at theQueens Village library at 4.CYBER BULLYINGThursday, January 6 work-shop at the Ridgewood l i -brary. Register.HAPPY HOURFridays, January 7, 14 atthe Flushing library at 3.BOOK BUDDIESFridays, January 7, 14 atthe Fresh Meadows libraryat 4.GAMESFriday, January 7 at the Sea-side library at 4.CHESS CLUBFriday, January 7 a t theDouglaston/Li t t le Neck l i -brary. Register.GAME PLAYERSFridays at the Hi l lcrest l i -brary at 2.TEEN TUTORINGMonday, January 10 at 3:30at the Bayside library.RESUME WRITINGMonday, January 10 at 3:30at the Broadway library.TEEN ADVISORY BD.Monday, January 10 at theCentral library at 4.CHESS CLUBMonday, January 10 at theBayside library at 6.CRAFT CLUBMonday, January 10 at theLIC library at 6.GRAPHIC NOVELISTTuesday, January 11 at 4 atthe Bay Te r race l ib rar y.Thursday, January 13 at 4at the Richmond Hill library.Meet and learn from graphicnovelist and children’s bookauthor Neil Numberman inthis art workshop.

QUEENS LIBRARIESMany b ranches o f theQueensborough Library of-fer toddler and pre-schoolprograms. Contact your localbranch for dates.CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flushinglibrary at 2.STORY TIMESSaturdays at 11 and Tues-days at 10:30 weekly storytimes at 7 at Barnes & Noble,176 -60 Un ion Turnp ike ,Fresh Meadows.KNIT & CROCHETMondays a t 4 a t theDouglaston/Li t t le Neck l i -b ra r y. B r ing need les andyarn.HOMEWORK HELPMondays-Fridays, January 3-7, 10-14 at the Lefrak Citylibrary at 3.AFTERSCHOOL TIMEMonday, January 3 for those7-18 at the Arverne libraryat 3.CRAFT KIDSMonday, January 3 at theFlushing library at 3.LITTLE TOT TIMEMondays, January 3, 10 atthe Hillcrest library at 4.BOOK BUDDIESTuesdays, January 4, 11 at3:30 at the Hillcrest library.CHESS & CHECKERSTuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe LIC library at 4.DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTuesdays, January 4, 11 atthe Baisley Park library. Reg-ister.CHESSWednesdays at the QueensVillage library at 3:30.NATURE EXPLORERSWednesdays starting Janu-ary 5 a 10 session activityfor those in grades 3-5 at Al-l ey Pond Env i ronmenta lCenter. 229-4000 to regis-ter .TIMELESS TALESWednesday, January 5 atthe Central library. Register.CRAFTSWednesdays, January 5, 12at the Steinway library. Reg-ister.GAME DAYWednesdays, January 5,1 2at the St. Albans library at 4.TRIVIA FOR KIDSWednesday, January 5 atthe Seaside library at 4:30.AFTERSCHOOL TIMEThursday, January 6 at theArverne library at 3.STORY TIMEThursday, January 6 at theKew Gardens Hills library at3 .GIRL SCOUTSThursday, January 6 at 4 atthe Queens Village library.CYBER BULLYINGThursday, January 6 at theRidgewood library. Register.MOTHER GOOSEFriday, January 7 a t theBriarwood library at 10:30.FAMILY STORY TIMEFriday, January 7 at 11 atthe Seaside library.PRESCHOOL CRAFTSFriday, January 7 a t theSunnyside library. Register.WII SPORTSFriday, January 7 a t theMaspeth library at 3:30.CHESS CLUBFridays, January 7, 14 atthe Poppenhusen library at3:30.

GAME DAYFr idays a t 3 :30 a t theQueens Village library.ARTS & CRAFTSFridays, January 7, 14 at theEast Flushing library. Regis-ter .GAME PLAYERS CLUBFridays at the Hillcrest libraryat 4.LEARN TO ACTFriday, January 7 at the Pen-insula library at 4.GAMESFriday, January 7 at the Sea-side library at 4.GAME TIMEFridays at the Windsor Parklibrary at 4.CHESS CLUBFridays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library. Register.MATH HELPSaturday at the Flushing li-brary.MAD SCIENTISTSaturday, January 8 at Al-l ey Pond Env i ronmenta lCenter for those 8-12. 229-4000 to register.SCIENCE LABSaturdays, January 8, 15 atthe Central library at 11.FOOTPRINTS IN SNOWSaturday , January 8 fo rthose 3 -4 and Saturday ,January 22 for those 5-6 atAl ley Pond EnvironmentalCenter. 229-4000 to regis-ter .SYMPHONY 101Saturday, January 8 at 1 atthe Forest Hills library and at3 at the Sunnyside library.P e r f o r m a n c e / w o r k s h o pabout the dif ferent instru-ments in the traditional sym-phonic orchestra.AFTERSCHOOL TIMEMonday, January 10 at 3 atthe Arverne library.TEEN TUTORINGMonday, January 10 at theBayside library at 3:30.WINTER CRAFTMonday, January 10 at theQueens Village library at 4.FAMILY GAME NIGHTMonday, January 10 at theSouth Jamaica library at 6.PJ STORY TIMEMonday, January 10 at thePomonok library at 7.NUTRITION WORKSHOPTuesday, Januar y 11 fo rthose 11-14 at the LIC l i -brary. Register. Also at theL IC l ib ra ry on Thursday ,January 13. Register.ACTING WORKSHOPTuesday, Januar y 11 fo rthose 10-14 at the Peninsulalibrary,. Register.STORY TIMEWednesday, January 12 atthe East E lmhurst l ib rary.Register .PRESCHOOL CRAFTWednesday, January 12 atthe Windsor Park l ibrary.Register .PICTURE BOOK TIMEWednesday, January 12 atthe Rego Park library at 3:30.SKATEBOARDWednesday , January 12Personalize your own skate-board at the Lefrak Cit y li-brary at 4.ANNIE THE DOGThursday, January 13 at theQueens Village library at 4.PUZZLE PROJECTSThursday, January 13 at theHillcrest library at 4:30.

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PeopleYork College senior men’s basketball

standout Marcel Esonwune (Lagos, Nige-

ria/Marist Brothers) once again has found

himself atop the NCAA Division III

leader board. The first statistical rankings

for NCAA Division III men’s basketball

were released and Esonwune was lead-

ing the nation in blocked shots per game

(4.7 per game) and double-doubles, (10)

and was second in rebounding (13.5 per

game). In addition, he also ranks 38th in

the nation in scoring (20.1 ppg).

Last season, the 2009-10 All-Ameri-

can finished the year as the leader in

blocked shots and is on pace to defend

his title this season. He also finished sec-

ond in rebounding a year ago.

York and Esonwune were idle until

Thursday night, when they hosted

Manhattanville.

Signature Bank announced that it has

appointed a new private client banking

team to be based out of its newly estab-

lished Jamaica office.

Joining Signature Bank are Norman

Burak, who was named Group Director

and Senior Vice President and Elizabeth

Forgione, appointed Associate Group Di-

rector and Vice President.

Most recently, Burak, who has 30 years

of banking expertise, spent 24 years at

HSBC, USA, NA and its predecessor en-

tities, including Marine Midland Bank. He

served as Vice President and Branch Man-

ager for the past 13 years at the Jamaica

branch on Hillside Avenue. Over the

years, Burak established relationships

with court-related businesses, law firms

and real estate entities.

Forgione spent 22 years at Sterling

Bank. For the past four years, she served

as First Vice President and Branch Man-

ager in Jamaica. She specializes in court-

appointed accounts as well as serving

small to mid-sized businesses and profes-

sional services firms, such as legal prac-

tices.

Allison Corbett and James McCurry,

who will each serve as Senior Client As-

sociates, join Burak and Forgione. They

had both previously worked with Burak

for more than 13 years.

Concurrent with the new team’s ap-

pointment, Signature Bank opened its

24th private client banking office. The

Jamaica private client banking office is

located at 89-36 Sutphin Blvd.

“The appointment of Norman and

Elizabeth demonstrates the Bank’s con-

tinued ability to attract veteran bankers

with long-established client relationships

in need of a bank that can provide supe-

rior service. Both Norman and Elizabeth

have decades of banking experience, pri-

marily in the Jamaica area, making their

team a perfect fit for our new office, our

third in Queens,” noted Joseph J.

DePaolo, President and Chief Executive

Officer at Signature Bank.

Burak and Forgione stated why they

were attracted to Signature Bank: “Signa-

ture Bank’s perspective of serving the cli-

ent and meeting their needs through one

team and a single-point-of-contact ap-

proach was appealing to us because it

will afford our team a better opportunity

to truly service our clients. At Signature

Bank, we are able to work in an entrepre-

neurial manner since we manage our own

book of business and are responsible for

ensuring we meet our clients’ needs and

exceed their expectations.”

Burak resides in East Meadow. He

serves as Chairman of the Sutphin Busi-

ness Improvement District (SBID), an

organization focused on improving the

business along the corridor of Jamaica’s

Sutphin Blvd. He is also a member of the

Greater Jamaica Development Corp. and

the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce. He

holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Busi-

ness Administration with an emphasis in

marketing from Baruch College in New

York City.

Forgione lives in Woodhaven and was

raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She

serves as treasurer of the SBID, where she

and Burak initially met. She is also a mem-

ber of the Queens Boulevard Kiwanis Club.

Sen. Malcolm Smith toured PS 138 in Rosedale and dropped off toys to students at the

school as part of his annual Winter Wonderland Toy Drive. Pictured l. to r.: Assistant

Principal James McEnaney, PTA President Yvette Small, Smith, Principal Michelle

Andrews and Dean/UFT Representative Paula Miller.

Winter Donation:

Conf ident ia l ly, New York . . .

This Old AmpSymire JonesJamaicaAge: 20Height: 5’ 3"Weight: 115 lbsStats: 34-27-37

For years, Symire Jones thought of delving intothe modeling industry, but standing at 5-foot-3, thepetite beauty did not think it was possible.

Living by the motto, where there’s a will there’sa way, Symire has decided to pursue a career in print

and commercial modeling.“When I am in front of the camera, I feel so happy,” she

said. “If you want something, then you go after it and youwill get it.”

Symire has hinged her future on more than justher pretty face. She is currently enrolled atLaGuardia Community College and hopesto transfer to the Fashion Institute of Tech-nology in June.

“I want to be around the fashion in-dustry,” she said.

Symire’s transfer to her dream schoolrests on her ability to sew, but she isconfident in her abilities. She said hermother taught her to sew and she has takenclasses to fine tune her skills.

Symire has tunnel vision where hergoals are concerned; hobbies and hang-outs have taken a backseat to her fu-ture.

“My days consist of school, thenwork, shows and photo shoots,” shesaid.

In five years, Symire would like to haveher own high fashion clothing line.

We’ll keep looking.

Fashion Forward

Time’s Up

Workers remove Christmas

decorations two days before

Christmas.

As we ran out by our new officeduring our lunch hour, to get thosefinal gifts for our loved ones onDec. 23, we were momentarily de-tained by City workers on 150thStreet in Whitestone while theyworked.

We were a little shocked to seetheir job for the day was takingdown the Christmas decorationsthat were hanging joyfully overthe street for the last month or so.As the workers took down the redgarland from the telephone polesin front of Cherry Valley Deli, wenoticed there were quite a fewother decorations in the back ofthe truck, confirming that this wasnot an isolated incident.

Apparently, for the City of NewYork, Christmastime ends two daysbefore Christmas.

Or maybe it just costs too muchto leave them out. That’s whathappens when you start puttingthem up in October.

What Is In A Name?Finding a name can sometimes

be a challenge; just ask any parentwho struggled even after the babywas born.

But for bloggers, who oftenkeep their real identity secret, bor-rowing an old name or displayinga twist on a classic is fairly com-monplace.

We think, though, that theblogger who goes by the nameSheaStadiumBK, and whose onlinephoto is simply a reworked designof the former Mets home seating chart, might be confusing people intothinking that the stadium that was branded as the worst in Major LeagueBaseball before it was demolished, was somehow located in Brooklyn.

Hey, you guys had Ebbets Field, the Dodgers and Jackie Robinson,but you certainly didn’t have Shea.

Perhaps the real question to ask hearkens back to Shakespeare:“What is in a name?” Would a borough by any other name still smellas bad?

Hmmm… perhaps SheaStdiumBK might say the same about ourMets. Touché, in advance.

SheaStadiumBK’s Blogger avatar.

Madonna Stretches Privilege

We’ve always known Madonna to be flexible.

Not even Madonna can fly dur-ing an epic blizzard.

Stranded by snow on a plane inHeathrow Airport, the Material Girlfound a novel way to pass thetime. To the dismay of the formerCorona resident’s fellow first-classpassengers, the well-known work-out fanatic began doing her yogaroutine in the aisle.

After about an hour, a bus re-trieved Madge and her 15-memberentourage, while the flight’s lessfortunate passengers had to waitanother two hours before disem-barking.

It’s good to be the Queen ofPop.

TurncoatThe Mets have had their fair

share of Benedict Arnolds, sowe’re not too surprised to seereliever Pedro Feliciano switchover to New York’s other team.

The lefty declined arbitrationwith the Mets, instead opting fora multi-year deal reportedly worth$8 million with the Yankees.

The reliever set a franchiserecord for the Amazin’s by ap-pearing in 86 games in 2008, 88games in 2009 and 92 games in2010.

We’re torn. As a reliablepitcher, he served us well… Buthe’s going to the Yankees. Wewish him nothing but the worst ofluck.

Former Met and new Yankee

(right) Pedro Feliciano

We wonder whose guitar buzzed

through this box.

The label shows that the

amplifier was made in Woodside.

This old Ampeg guitar ampli-fier from the 1950s, recently postedfor sale on Craigslist, is made by acompany with an address inWoodside. It’s not clear if themanufacturing was done there aswell, but we never knew they wereassociated with Queens at all.

Ampeg is still big today andwas always used by the biggestnames in popular music – you’dsee them in the background of anyfootage of Bob Dylan or the Roll-ing Stones in the 60s. Yet anotherspot for Queens in the history ofRock and Roll.

Edited by: Michael Schenkler.Contributors: Jessica Ablamsky, SashaAustrie, Marcia Moxom Comrie,Mike Nussbaum, Joe Orovic, BrianRafferty, Domenick Rafter.

You can reach us by email atConf@QueensTribune.com

Who We Are

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