Caption Courtroom Sketch Eric Adams

Eric Adams makes history as first Mayor to be indicted while governing New York City

 

 New York Times

Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal criminal charges, according to people with knowledge of the matter, and will be the first mayor in modern New York City history to be charged while in office.

The indictment is sealed, and it was unclear what charge or charges Mr. Adams, a Democrat, will face or when he will surrender to the authorities. Federal prosecutors were expected to announce the details of the indictment on Thursday.

The mayor, in a videotaped speech posted online late Wednesday, adopted a combative tone, saying any charges against him would be “entirely false” and “based on lies.” He said he had been targeted by the federal authorities because he had “stood my ground” for New Yorkers.

Mr. Adams, 64, also made it clear he had no intention of resigning, which he is not required to do under the City Charter. He said he would request an “immediate” trial and would “fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength, and my spirit.”

The indictment comes a little less than a year after federal agents searched the home of Mr. Adams’s chief fund-raiser and seized the mayor’s electronic devices as he left a public event in Manhattan.

The mayor and his aides have said he was cooperating with the authorities, and Mr. Adams has continued to insist that he has done nothing wrong.

Mr. Adams, a retired police captain, was elected New York’s 110th mayor in 2021 after a campaign built on a pledge to reduce crime, bring professionalism to City Hall and tap his personal brand of “swagger.”

But he staffed top positions with friends and loyalists, and his inner circle became engulfed by federal investigations. This month, federal agents seized phones from numerous top city officials, including a top aide to Mr. Adams, the schools chancellor and the police commissioner. The commissioner, Edward A. Caban, and the schools chancellor, David C. Banks, later resigned.

Mr. Adams, the second Black person to lead the nation’s largest city, was already facing a competitive primary in his run for re-election next year, and the indictment was likely to prompt more challengers to enter the race.

Here’s what else to know:

• The indictment raised immediate questions about Mr. Adams’s ability to serve as mayor, adding to the growing pressure for him to step down. Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove him from office.

• Mr. Adams made it clear in his statement that he had no immediate plans to resign. If he changes his mind, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, will become the city’s acting mayor.

• Several federal corruption investigations have reached top people around Mr. Adams, with some of the highest-ranking officials in his administration coming under scrutiny. Read more about the investigations here. Here is a timeline of the key moments leading up to the indictment.

• The swarm of federal inquiries in the lead-up to the indictment of Mr. Adams plunged his administration into a free fall, further diminishing his political stature. It raised doubts about his re-election chances next year and his ability to engage with other political leaders. Read more about the challenges in City Hall here.

At around 11:30 p.m., Frank Carone, the former City Hall chief of staff, exited Gracie Mansion. In a grey suit, Carone described the mayor as “strong” and said he would not respond to calls to resign. “Like anybody else, he is innocent until proven guilty and he deserves his day in court,” Carone said. In response to questions about whether Adams would or should be replaced, he spoke sternly. “There is one mayor of New York City, and that is Eric Adams.” 

 

 

No bike lane bliss for Blissville

NY Post 

Businesses in one of the last-standing industrial corners of Long Island City say they can only take so much gentrification — and that a planned new bike lane has put them over the edge.

Local industries argue that the cyclist carve-out in the trendy Queens neighborhood will be dangerous for their truck drivers — not to mention the bikers.

“Not every street is safe for a bike lane. You wouldn’t put a bike lane down the middle of the LIE. It’s just not safe. And this is similar,” argued Matthew Dienstag, co-owner of the local LeNoble Lumber.

 But the city — which touts on its transportation Web site that nearly 1 million New Yorkers regularly ride bikes — is plowing ahead with plans to connect the Pulaski and Kosciuszko bridges for bikers.

The connection will come by way of Borden, Starr and Review avenues — a dangerous sector of Blissville infamous for its big-truck congestion.

“It’s like, ‘This is what we’re doing, we don’t give a s–t.’ Excuse my French,” griped Michael Diamond of J&S Supply Corp, a 75-year-old insulation and roofing distributor company, to The Post, referring to the city’s stance.

J&S Supply is one of the dozens of warehouse businesses, as well as a city Sanitation Department waste management facility, that contribute to the heavy stream of truck and forklift traffic traveling in and out of the corridor.

Massive box trucks already swerve across both lanes of traffic to enter and exit their warehouses, a tricky maneuver made even more difficult by the overcrowded streets’ chronic double-parking problem.

Local civic associations and the community board requested the bike lane as a solution to the safety issues.

With space allotted for parking on both sides of the road, just about 22 feet would be left for moving traffic — a significant slice that business owners say they cannot give up.

“There probably will be more truck accidents than there are now,’’ Dienstag argued. “When you have a tractor-trailer pulling into any one of these buildings there to put to back in or to pull out, they’re almost hitting those cars afterwards.”

The business owners said cyclists would be in danger, too.

In a span of one hour Friday morning, The Post observed four cyclists pedal down Review Avenue, including one who opted for the sidewalk path rather than the busy street.

“There’s a lot of trucks, so it’s better this way. No one’s around,” said Richard Derba of Maspeth, Queens, who cycles to Greenpoint along the Review Avenue sidewalk twice a week.

When asked if the incoming bike lane would be beneficial, Derba said it wouldn’t make a difference to him because the vehicular traffic would still be too heavy for his comfort.

The DOT argument to justify inducement of bike lanes would be a little more credible if their data for cycling wasn't two years old. But like the man said, they don't give a shit.

 

Glendale single men's shelter update

 

Looks like the men's homeless shelter on Cooper Ave. is growing corn. 

It's also growing outside lodging. 

 This is also the first time I ever seen the drive thru gate open. 

 

 

Litmus Test Garden

 

NY Post

They’re planting hate.

A community garden in Ridgewood, Queens, has morphed into a group of pro-Palestinian green thumbs who grow “Poppies for Palestine” and host “Free Palestine” poster making events.

Sara Schraeter-Mowers told The Post she can’t remember the last time she felt welcome in her own neighborhood, where she’s lived for 18 years.

She blamed the Sunset Community Garden, in part, for “creating an environment” in Ridgewood “that’s very hostile towards me and my family.”

Jewish Ridgewood residents are now afraid to go dig in the dirt at the garden, said Schraeter-Mowers, a teacher whose cousin was killed at the Nova Festival massacre on Oct. 7.

Schraeter-Mowers said she was profoundly offended by a July 28 post to the garden’s Instagram page, showing a painting that had been created during the “Free Palestine” arts and crafts event. 

 “They’re hosting events specifically designed to promote hatred toward Jewish people,” Schraeter-Mowers said.

“They don’t care that they’re alienating certain members of the community, even while putting on the mask of being inclusive.”

“I’d be safer in my home country [of Israel] than I am here,” Schraeter-Mowers added.

“I basically feel like we’re not allowed to be part of the community. I understand they’re trying to ensure people aren’t being discriminated against, but in doing so, they’re discriminating against an entire population in your community.”

 Steph Herold’s Instagram post accused the garden’s heads of pushing “out every Jew in the neighborhood who doesn’t conform to your narrow view of acceptable political opinion on Israel.”

In June, the group’s “community agreements” were first posted to the social media platform, and later updated in August.

They’re essentially 10 separate, brevity-challenged pledges all prospective members must make prior to joining the community garden.

One agreement required members to express “solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people in our own neighborhood and across the globe, especially Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Hawaii,” and Puerto Rico, “as well as with the land and water protectors globally. Active genocides, ecocide, the rise in climate disaster and refugees, victims of class warfare, and others are a direct cause for action in our collective liberation against human rights and environmental justice violations.”

Queens gets the play money

 NY Post

Pass go — and hop on the 7 train?

The classic board game Monopoly is rolling out a new “Queens Edition” with the borough’s iconic landmarks replacing standard Atlantic-city-inspired spaces such as “Boardwalk” and “Park Place.”

Players will be able to buy, sell, and trade famous businesses, non-profits and neighborhoods in the “World’s Borough” when the game hits the shelves Oct. 5, according to Top Trumps USA, which teamed up with Hasbro on the new iteration.

And just like real life, folks from the outer borough can be over-taxed and tossed in jail.

Earlier this year, the game-makers asked Queens residents to vote on which sites they want featured — but the firms haven’t said yet which ones made the cut.

Rockaway Beach, Queens Center Mall and the 7 train are expected to light up the board.

Jay Varma: Scamdemic Wizard

"Dr." Jay Varma had orgies and dance raves on molly while advising Mayor de Blasio to shut the whole city down causing millions of New Yorkers to lose their jobs and then crafting the vaccine mandates that led to thousands of New Yorkers losing their jobs. And he did it for the power and the glory and from this video, for the p--sy. This lowlife belongs in prison but for now we'll take him getting humiliated while dining al fresco

Sleazy Eddie steps off

NY Post 

 NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban stepped down Thursday under pressure from City Hall in the aftermath of raids by federal agents that targeted a slew of police officials and close aides to Mayor Eric Adams.

Caban — whose electronic devices were seized by federal agents last week in what sources described as a sweeping corruption probe involving potential influence peddling — submitted a letter of resignation that Adams said he accepted.

After Caban’s resignation takes effect Friday, the commish job will be filled by former FBI official Tom Donlon on an interim basis, Adams said.

“The news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD,” Caban said in an internal email sent to members of service Thursday morning, and obtained by The Post.

23

Queens is burning and more unaffordable

  

QNS

A 72-year-old man was killed after a fire engulfed his illegal basement apartment in South Richmond Hill on Thursday afternoon.

The FDNY received a call just after 5 p.m. of a house fire at 94-14 132nd St. Firefighters confirmed the blaze broke out in the basement. The FDNY dispatched 12 units and 60 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene. Paramedics rescued the 72-year-old victim, and EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead a short while later.

Two other residents were injured, and one firefighter suffered a minor injury. They were treated at the scene. The fire was brought under control at 5:44 p.m. 

QNS

New York City has launched a housing lottery for 182 units in The Monarch, a 24-story mixed-use development at 92-29 Guy R Brewer Blvd. in Jamaica that opened last July.

The building has 605 total residences, with 30 available in the housing lottery for those earning 80% of the area median income and another 152 for those earning 130% of the area median income.

Of the 30 units set aside for those earning 80% of the area median income, 25 are one-bedroom, with a monthly rent of $1,596. Up to three people can reside in each unit, as long as their combined annual income ranges from $58,046.-$111,840. The other five units are two-bedroom, with a monthly rent of $1,904. These units are meant for up to five people, who earn $69,669-$134,160 annually.

For the 152 units set aside for those earning 130% of the area median income, 125 of them are one-bedroom units, which cost $3,140 a month. They are meant for up to three residents, who combine to bring in $107,658-$181,740. The 27 remaining units are two-bedroom, with a monthly rent of $3,753. Up to five people can live in these units, as long as they combine to earn $128,675-$218,010 annually.

Amenities for residents of The Monarch include washers, dryers and dishwashers in the units, high-end kitchen appliances, countertops and finishes, air-conditioning, energy-efficient appliances, smart controls for heating and cooling, charging outlets with USB ports, hardwood floors, cable or satellite TV and high-speed internet.

QNS

The average rental price for housing units across Queens went up 4.07% year-over-year in August 2024, according to a report by the real estate firm M.N.S. Real Estate.

Queens had its overall rental price jump from $2,812 in August 2023 to $2,926 in August 2024. Studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units each experienced price hikes over this period of time. While the year-over-year changes were not as extreme as last month, the trends were similar.

Studios again had the largest percentage increase, going up 5.92%, from $2,240 in 2023 to $2,372 in 2024. Rego Park retained its title of having the most significant increase in studio rent year-over-year among the 11 Queens neighborhoods included in the study. The cost there rose from $2,138 last year to $2,714 this year.

One-bedroom units had a 3.73% rise in rent, from $2,737 in August 2023 to $2,839 in August 2024. Once again, Rego Park had the biggest boost among the Queens neighborhoods, with the rent of one-bedroom units there going up from $2,646 last year to $2,889 this year

Two-bedroom units again had the largest increase in price, going up 4.41%, from $3,415 in August 2023 to $3,566 in August 2024. Sunnyside had the biggest change, up from $2,920 last year to $3,316 this year.

The most expensive units continue to be found in Long Island City. The average rent in August there was $3,464 for studios, $4,223 for one-bedroom units and $5,975 for two-bedroom units.

Sacrificial Hams

 

 NY Post

Animal sacrifices are surging in Queens, with chickens, pigs and rats being tortured, mutilated or killed in “twisted” religious rituals in parkland surrounding Jamaica Bay, The Post has learned. 

In a little over a month, at least nine wounded animals or carcasses have been discovered in the federally-managed Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel — including five live pigs with partially severed ears.

Creatures recovered from the revolting scene also include a near-dead baby rat tied up in a bag with chicken bones; a freshly-decapitated chicken head; a live hen in distress; and a dead dog with its neck snapped. 

“It’s continually getting worse. The animal sacrifices are happening more repeatedly, more times a week,” Sloane Quealy, co-founder and president of Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue, told The Post.

“The sacrificers know it’s open season.”

 One of the distressed pigs was found emaciated in a food-filled crate in July, with a deep gash running down its face and its body covered in oils and spices, said Kristen Latuga, who has taken in all five of the ailing swine at her Long Island animal sanctuary, Brucie’s Angels.

Several rescuers and a local religious leader suggested the torture was linked to a sect of Hindu devotees who worship the goddess Kali and have practiced animal sacrifice in the area surrounding Jamaica Bay for decades.

“It’s a misconstruing of what the scriptures say about conquering the animalistic values,” said Acharya Arun Gossai, who runs the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir temple in Ozone Park.

“They’ve twisted it and they’ve sacrificed an actual animal rather than sacrificing the animalistic qualities of man.” 

Jamaica Bay has been a popular religious site among members of the Hindu Guyanese and Indo-Caribbean diaspora living in nearby neighborhoods, including Richmond Hill and Ozone Park. 

Along the waterway, which has been nicknamed the “Ganges” by some, after the sacred body of water in India, people regularly gather to give offerings, typically flowers and fruits, and leave statues of deities as well as prayer flags. 

This week, The Post observed Quealy and another animal rescuer, Kim Fraser, track down a trio of piglets that had their ears and tails cut off — roughly 100 feet away from a pair of statuettes of Hindu deities resting atop a mound of turf alongside a trio of flags.

Prayer flags were spotted nearby bundled up in the brush.

Followers of other religions whose rituals involve animal sacrifice, such as Santeria and voodoo, also have been known to use beaches and parks surrounding Jamaica Bay to carry out bloody rites. 

Walls are closing in and tumbling down in the Adams administration

  

THE CITY

 

Federal authorities have raided the homes of some of the highest-ranking members of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, including two deputy mayors and the schools chancellor, and seized the electronic devices of New York City’s police commissioner, sources familiar with the situation told THE CITY.

This extraordinary effort in the last two days to obtain evidence from some of the highest-ranking members of Adams’ team — all of whom have longtime and close ties to the mayor — follows other federal raids and seizures that have swept up the mayor and other top aides in what appears to be a broadening investigation of City Hall.

On Wednesday agents showed up around 5 a.m. at the Hamilton Heights townhouse of Sheena Wright, who also happens to be the fiancé of Chancellor Banks. The chancellor was seen by THE CITY entering and leaving the townhouse twice on Thursday. Asked about the raid, David Banks declined to comment, saying, “Today is the first day of school, and I am thrilled,” he said, jumping into a SUV to head to a scheduled appearance at a school in Queens.

At the same time agents raided Wright’s townhouse, they simultaneously descended upon Deputy Mayor Philip Banks III’s brick and clapboard single family in Hollis, the sources said. A neighbor of Phil Banks’ home told THE CITY they woke up to a disturbance Wednesday morning and about 15 agents were on the street.

Then on Thursday the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office issued search warrants seizing the cell phones of Police Commissioner Edward Caban, a development first reported by Spectrum News NY1. Asked about this, the department’s press office responded, “The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service. The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation.”

A spokesperson for Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to comment.

The New York Times reported that the FBI raided the home of a third Banks brother, Terrence, and seized electronic devices from Tim Pearson, one of another senior advisor to the mayor and one of Adams’ closest associates. In a lawsuit filed recently against Pearson alleging workplace retaliation, the plaintiff stated an FBI agent recently knocked on his door and asked about Pearson.

Adams spoke briefly with reporters as he left City Hall on Thursday afternoon.

“The goal is to follow the law and that is what this administration always stood for and what we’re going to continue to stand for,” he said.

When asked if he thought his staff followed the law, given multiple investigations, Adams said: “I think I answered the question, and that I’m going to continue to say as I’ve lived my entire life and I have confidence in the team, the team here. We’re going to follow the rules and comply with any questions that are asked of us.” 

NY Post 

Federal agents hit NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and members of the nation’s biggest police force this week — amid a stunning spate of raids on others in Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle, sources said Thursday.

Agents showed up to the homes of Caban, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks and the townhouse shared by Schools Chancellor David Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright with search warrants early Wednesday and seized their electronic devices, according to law-enforcement sources.

Phil and David Banks’ brother, Terence Banks, a former MTA official who has turned to consulting work, was also targeted in the actions, sources said.

Another top Adams aide – retired NYPD inspector Timothy Pearson – had his phones subpoenaed, according to the sources.

It wasn’t clear if the raid on the Harlem home shared by Wright and David Banks targeted one or both of them.

The connections between the raids, subpoenas and other law enforcement sweeps targeting Caban, other NYPD officials and City Hall bigwigs remained murky Thursday.

But sources said the top cop and others in the department were targeted as part of a sweeping corruption probe involving influence peddling.

Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant, was served a search warrant with a subpoena, sources said. Investigators are looking into his role in the world of nightlife enforcement, according to sources.

Sources confirmed that NYPD Chief of Staff Raul Pintos and two precinct commanders in Manhattan and Queens were asked to turn over their phones.

The feds also are looking into rank-and-file NYPD officers, from precinct commanders on down, who serve in Midtown South and other precincts with a strong nightlife presence, sources said.

None has been accused of any crime.

The probes are being led by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, which has also been eyeing Adams’ 2021 campaign in another unrelated high-profile investigation, sources said.

Adams broke his daylong silence on the raids Thursday afternoon as he exited City Hall to a throng of reporters.

“As you’ve heard me say over and over again, as a former law enforcement person we will always follow the law and that is what this administration always stood for and will continue to stand for,” he said.

“Whatever information is needed, we will turn over.”

City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg, in a statement issued shortly after the raids were publicly revealed, implied city officials weren’t the probe’s ultimate targets.

“Investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation,” said Zornberg in a statement.

“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law.”

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed an investigation focused on police officials.

“The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service. The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation,” the spokesperson said in a statement Thursday, referring questions to Manhattan federal prosecutors.

Caban could not be reached for comment. He was appointed to the commissioner role in July 2023 after previous top cop Keechant Sewell’s surprise resignation.

As commissioner, Caban works closely with the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office that now appears to be investigating him, many of his officers and a smorgasbord of his high-ranking city government counterparts.

Representatives for the US Attorney’s office declined to comment.

When The Post tried to reach Chief of Patrol John Chell for comment about the raids and subpoenas, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Tarik Sheppard got on the phone and called the reporter a “f—ing scumbag.”

Sources said Terence Banks is being eyed over suspicions that since his retirement, he has acted as an unregistered lobbyist, who has brought businesses to City Hall through connections to his brother in a way that circumvents conflict of interest rules, source said.

Pearson, an Adams confidante who recently made headlines for being the subject of a sexual harassment suit, has long faced scrutiny for his shady role within the administration, which includes overseeing contracts for security at migrant shelters.

Tunnel Vision Incision

⛔️ 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪
This is video from the Queens-Midtown Tunnel showing water pouring into it.
The East River is above it
(Video by @whatisnewyork)#NYC #Tunnel pic.twitter.com/GqyYxotbcq

— Ꮃꭺꮮꮮ Ꮪꭲꭱꭼꭼꭲ Ꮪꮋꭼꭼꭲ (@wallstreetsheet) September 4, 2024

 

 NY Post

Water from the East River flowed into the the Queens Midtown Tunnel Wednesday afternoon after a drilling contractor accidentally punched a hole in the roof and caused a deluge that terrified drivers, according to officials and shocking video.

Workers were doing “investigative work related to the design of the upcoming UN esplanade project” when they punctured a hole in the edge of the tunnel, Josh Kraus of the New York City Economic Development Corporation said at a press conference.

The busy passageway sprung a leak in the south tube on the Queens side at around 12:30 p.m., prompting officials to close it for roughly 45 minutes.

Video of the massive leak, showed cars driving trough the tunnel as water cascaded down from square openings.

“Well that’s scary,” said someone in a video posted online by @whatisnewyork.

By 3 p.m. officials had reopened one lane in each direction — but traffic remained snarled.

The tunnel fully reopened hours later, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

“Both tunnels are now back open to east/west directions of travel. There will be some residual delays as traffic gets moving in the area. Please be patient,” the mayor wrote on X just after 6 p.m. 

MTA CEO Janno Lieber said city-funded private contractor caused the damage while drilling to find pylons for the East River greenway and that the hole was 2 1/2 inches in diameter in the roof, according to Fox News.

“We determined it was a drilling contractor who drilled about a 2.5 inch hole through the cast iron liner [of the tunnel],” Cathy Sheridan, President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels said at the press conference.

“We don’t know when we will be open. We hope it will be within hours and not days,” she said.

 

Caption the comptroller and the public advocate

Sunny Espionage Delight

 

NBC News 

A former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested Tuesday on federal charges of acting as a secret agent of the Chinese government, authorities said.

Linda Sun, 41, is accused of using her high-ranking positions in state government to serve the interests of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for millions of dollars. Her husband, Chris Hu, 40, was also arrested in the alleged scheme.

Sun was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering. Hu was charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.

Both pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon. Sun was set to be released on a $1.5 million bond, her husband on a $500,000 bond.

“We are disappointed by the filing of these charges, which are inflammatory and appear to be the product of an overly aggressive prosecution," Sun's lawyers, Jarrod Schaeffer and Kenneth Abell, said in a statement after the hearing. "We are also troubled by aspects of the government’s investigation. As we said today in court, our client is eager to exercise her right to a speedy trial and to defend against these accusations in the proper forum—a court of law.”

The arrests come six weeks after FBI agents searched the couple's $3.5 million home in a gated community in Manhasset on Long Island. 

Sun worked in state government for roughly 15 years, holding positions in the administration of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo before becoming Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Avi Small, a spokesman for Hochul, said Sun was hired more than a decade ago and fired in March 2023 after "evidence of misconduct" was discovered. Small said Hochul's staff immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted the authorities working the case.

According to the 64-page indictment, Sun blocked Taiwanese government representatives from getting access to high-ranking New York state officials and altered the messaging of state officials on issues of importance to the Chinese government — all at the request of Chinese officials. Sun also helped Chinese government officials travel to the U.S. and meet with New York officials by providing unauthorized invitation letters from high-level state officers, according to the indictment.

"Sun’s unauthorized invitation letters for the PRC government delegation constituted false statements made in connection with immigration documents and induced the foreign citizens into unlawfully entering the United States," Brooklyn federal prosecutors said in a press release.

"Sun never registered as a foreign agent with the Attorney General, and in fact actively concealed that she took actions at the order, request, or direction of PRC government and the CCP representatives."

Caption Mayor Adams

NYC parks dept. put an ampitheater on a sidewalk that has expectedly led to noise complaints

 

NY Post

Their homes are shake, rattle and rolling.

Rockaways residents living near the $3.7 million Beach 94th Street Amphitheater say live music at the venue has made life a living hell since it opened last year.

“We’re in our homes with our doors shut, our AC on and our TV on, and it’s insufferable,” said Joe O’Sullivan, 59, a retired FDNY firefighter who lives less than 300 feet from the amphitheater with his wife, Helena.

The couple captured video of their home’s interior shaking from the thumping of dance music blaring from the Soulful House Brothers festival on July 28.

“It was my medicine cabinet shaking, and all the stuff in it. It was weird. I couldn’t believe,” Helena said. “We’ve had construction done over the years since [Hurricane] Sandy, and we’ve never had that.

“You can only call 311 so many times,” she added.

Since opening in May 2023, there have been at least one hundred music-related 311 calls near the amphitheater, which is run by the Parks Department and can hold at least 300 people, although residents said they have not done any decibel readings of the noise.

The venue has been a popular stage for local musicians such as French-language rockers Les San Culottes and the Rambones, a Ramones tribute band

Locals said just a quarter of the dozens of events held at the amphitheater are “beautiful, outstanding, tear-jerking [performances] . . . that do bring people together.”

“The other 75% keep people away because it’s so loud, you can’t exist in the vicinity of the space and have any conversation,” said Erin Silvers, 45, who lives three houses away.

“My dog goes into hiding for days at a time. It’s like the Fourth of July at all hours of the day. It’ll start at 10 in the morning and go til 10 at night,” she said, noting “it’s much louder this year than it was last year.”

Neighbors cried that the city has ignored the noise they’ve been making — but giving the performers carte blanche with their performances.

“The Parks Department isn’t regulating the performers, they are letting them go wild,” Joe O’Sullivan said.

 When Parks’ Rockaway Administrator Eric Peterson was asked one night by frustrated residents to shut off huge speakers being powered by generators, in violation of the event permit rules, he allegedly told fed-up residents, “‘It’s a dance party, come join the party,'” according to Joe O’Sullivan

“I said, ‘I’ve got it in my living room and I’m not enjoying it and want it to stop,'” the frustrated resident recalled. “He refuses to enforce the laws of the permits, the rules.” 

Who thought it was a good idea to put an amphitheater on the sidewalk??? Also, who is this dickhead Peterson and how did he get his job? But I forget the Mayor Adams kakistocracy is filled with crony dickheads like him.

Lithium-ion idiot dumping

Zero tolerance for cesspool scooter pilot

 

QNS 

Dozens of southeast Queens residents voiced their opposition at a town hall meeting last week against the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) recent expansion of its e-scooter program into their area. 

Homeowners from an array of southeast Queens neighborhoods, including Addisleigh Park, Cambria Heights, Laurelton and Springfield Gardens, were vocal in their opposition to the program, which they say has led to bikes being strewn all over the area since its launch on June 27. The program, which was initially introduced in the Bronx, covers 20 square miles—from Flushing in the north to Springfield Gardens in the south—and is part of a long-term contract between the city and participating e-scooter companies.

The residents gathered for the meeting on Aug. 17 at Archie Spigner Park for a conversation facilitated by Sen. Leroy Comrie’s office. They got to speak to Comrie, as well as DOT Queensborough Commissioner Nicole Garcia and representatives from participating e-scooter companies. Representatives from the Queens Borough President’s office and Council Member Nantasha Williams’ office were also present.

Since the program’s expansion into southeast Queens, many residents say that the riders are thoughtlessly dumping the bikes on the street when they are done using them, blocking sidewalks, driveways and bike lanes. Additionally, they expressed concern about rider safety and asked about the regulations. 

“There are things that the agency is looking into, to adapt it to address some of these concerns. This is a really important transportation option for a lot of folks. We’ve seen some pretty incredible numbers in the first four weeks that it’s launched,” she said to the crowd.

Within the first two months of the program, around 30,000 unique rider accounts have taken nearly 190,000 trips, according to the DOT. Additionally, the agency said that it has installed designated parking corrals in downtown Flushing and Jamaica, with plans underway for more parking areas to service eastern Queens. No riding and no parking zone installations were also included based on community input.

Representatives from the three participating e-scooter companies— Lime, Bird and Veo— manned info stalls at the town hall, where they discussed bike safety, ridership and e-scooter usage. 

The DOT told QNS that it decided to expand the e-bike program into southeast Queens based on what it claimed was its successful launch in the East Bronx.

“This expansion delivers a popular, safe and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation to underserved neighborhoods in Queens—and we’ve already recorded nearly 200,000 trips​,” a DOT spokesperson said.

Bird Partnerships representative Austin Spademan, who was present at the meeting, addressed concerns about improper parking practices. He explained that users must provide an end-ride photo to show that they parked properly, with a penalty system that can see a rider banned from the service if company policies are not met. 

Some residents expressed concern about minors using the bikes. Spademan said that riders must upload their identification for age verification before they can use them. Some attendees at the town hall also claimed the bikes were not being used.

Spademan told QNS that although there is vocal opposition, the data shows that riders are utilizing the scooters. 

“The fact of the matter is that our riders are also equally a part of this community, and there are 6,500 active riders every single day across the city. Queens has the most active users out of all the neighborhoods,” he said. He added that well over 25% of rides within southeast Queens are ending or beginning around transit, with large amounts of daily ridership.

Spademan said there is work to do in the neighborhood, including enforcing ridership rules in order to improve the relationship between Bird and the community.

“Complaints are going down each week in Queens because the rider behavior is getting better and our enforcement policies are going into effect,” he told QNS. Spademan added that Bird is happy to work directly with residents facing issues with e-scooters being parked on their premises. 

Residents were straightforward with their pushback against the representatives’ statements. 

“The complaints that have been reported to you are that [e-scooters] are strung around all over the place willy nilly, and we don’t want them in the community,” said Michael Scotland, an Addisleigh Park homeowner. 

Carl Cunningham, a St. Albans resident, told QNS he is not completely opposed to the program, but more needs to be done to stop the e-scooters from being abandoned on the street and out of the hands of underaged riders. “They can’t be dropped off on any street, anywhere at any time,” he said. “A lot of the teenagers I’ve seen riding them don’t look 18 to me. They’re using an older brother or parent’s or somebody’s [ID] and they’re leaving them on driveways and the sidewalks.” 

Albert Silvestri, Queens Deputy Borough DOT Commissioner, told the attendees that whoever’s information or ID was used to sign up for the e-scooter would be liable for any rider under 18 using the service. Riders must be 18 or older to use the e-scooters.

Many residents seemed perplexed as to why the expansion moved forward after it was voted down by community boards 12 and 13. 

“I’m a property owner in Cambria Heights. We never wanted this. We voted against it in Community Board 13 and Community Board 12,” said James Johnson at the town hall meeting.

Queens is burning again: Lithium-ion is more lit than ever

 

AMNY 

Firefighters in Queens battled a two-alarm fire at a pair of commercial buildings early on Sunday morning where more than a dozen drums of highly flammable chemicals had been stored.

FDNY sources said the blaze broke out at about 12:56 a.m. on Aug. 25 inside 133-02 101st Ave. in South Richmond Hill, the location of an auto body shop, a tattoo parlor and a barber shop.

Members of Engine Company 302 and Ladder Company 126 first arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke and fire emanating from the basement. Firefighters worked quickly to break a hole through a floor to enter the basement and fight the flames

 More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene. They deployed four hose lines to knock down the main body of fire. Both buildings were searched for possible victims, but none were found. One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated.

 

 QNS

Exploding lithium-ion batteries are suspected to be the cause of a two-alarm fire that tore through a Richmond Hill bike shop Monday, March 13.

The fire broke out at the rear of The Kings Electric Scooter shop at 102-44 Jamaica Ave. just after 2:30 p.m., and firefighters quickly removed one electric scooter that had caught fire.

 The flames spread to a second-story apartment but all occupants had been evacuated, according to the FDNY. The fire went to a second alarm at 2:49 p.m. bringing 108 firefighters and 25 units to the scene.

Between 85 to 100 e-bikes, scooters, and motorcycles were removed from the shop that had signs of fire damage. Firefighters were still trying to remove 20 or more e-bikes and scooters from the cellar.

 A Hazmat unit arrived on the scene and was removing lithium-ion batteries from the vehicles. The fire was brought under control just at 3:29 p.m. and fire marshals will determine the cause of the blaze.

Correction: It was a garage unit around the corner of the shop on 87th avenue that they owned. I left a photo of former FDNY commissioner Laura Kavanagh there since she's responsible for undermining the threat of lithium ion battery cartridges during her 2 year reign of error and DEI influenced malfeasance.

 

 

 

DOT will build new bike lanes for friends of Transportation Alternatives in Ridgewood

 

Streetsblog

Protected bike lanes and built-out sidewalks are coming to Cypress Avenue to provide a safe connection to Highland Park on the Brooklyn-Queens border, where traffic going to and from the Jackie Robinson Parkway currently reigns.

The Department of Transportation plans to set up a two-way cycle path protected from traffic by jersey barriers along with new sidewalks between Cooper Avenue and Cypress Hills Street, according to a design presented to the local community board in June. The upgrades mean people on foot or bike won't need to dodge traffic coming off and on the Jackie Robinson Parkway to get to the park and nearby cemeteries, said one local advocate.

"This is like a win-win," said Bree Mobley, a volunteer organizer with Ridgewood Riders, a cycling group that has pushed for the upgrades for years. "Let’s make it happen, let’s get park access in the neighborhood."

Cypress Avenue is a steep, wide and busy thoroughfare sandwiched between cemeteries and full of heavy traffic from the nearby highway. Those dangerous conditions make it hard for people to get to Highland Park from Ridgewood and Bushwick, even though it's only a mile away, Mobley said.

"It’s not for the faint of heart," the safe streets advocate said. "People are zooming by you, 30-40 miles per hour. They don’t care, they’re just trying to get to the highway and get there as fast as they can."

The intersection of Cypress and Cooper avenues in particular is a well-known danger zone with a history of crashes.

Ridgewood Rides and advocates with Transportation Alternatives have gathered nearly 1,000 online signatures in support of safer access to the park. 

  They are crowing about a non story that they dropped the ball on 2 months ago. And they’re too dumb to notice that the map DOT provided is wrong. Also enjoyed the comment by Transportation Alternatives ally H2O that they think they’re going to get both a bus stop and Citibike station there.

And that map from the proposal is completely incorrect. There is NO protected bike lane along the Jackie. It's a shared sidewalk for cyclists and pedestrians. Internal park paths should not be portrayed as protected bike lanes as there are no vehicles to mix with.

 

 There's also no sidewalk north of the Jackie, the cemeteries are not required to install them. So DOT is installing one, but most people who walk to Highland approach from the other way.Vermont Place sidewalk improvements would be welcome, but there still are like 4 on/off ramps for peds to cross to get to the reservoir entrance where these jerks want to divert the bus.

 

As for the H20 ally who posted this comment that got the traffic light wrong (de facto stewards in the area?), his name is Peter Frishauf, an Upper West Side millionaire donor to transportation alternatives and streetspac who practically ordered the DOT to reimagine a street with planters, paint and rocks that usurped parking spaces and mocked and 84-year-old woman who got arrested for protesting against it.

CONFIRMED: The woman has been arrested. pic.twitter.com/6HsLzsWtCv

— Streetsblog New York (@StreetsblogNYC) October 16, 2023

One more thing

 The department of transportation alternatives own data shows protected bike lanes don't really protect anyone. Especially cyclists. 

 

The 104 and the battle against real traffic violence

 

QNS

 

The NYPD 104th Precinct has towed 463 vehicles this year and expects to surpass that soon, according to Commanding Officer Captain Karam Chowdhury. Last year, they towed 553 vehicles, leaving them just 90 cars shy of last year’s total, making this year even more productive.

The NYPD’s 104th Precinct has towed 463 vehicles so far this year and expects to surpass last year’s total within the next few months, according to Commanding Officer Captain Karam Chowdhury.

Last year, the 104th Precinct, which serves Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village, towed 553 vehicles in total, Chowdhury shared exclusively with QNS.

Now just 90 vehicles shy of last year’s total, the precinct is on track to surpass that number, marking an even more productive year.

Notably, between Sunday, July 14, and Wednesday, Aug. 14, the precinct towed exactly 90 vehicles, Chowdhury noted.

Ongoing efforts to address residents’ quality-of-life concerns regarding illegally parked and derelict vehicles are what Chowdhury says keep the existing issues at bay.

“We want to make sure that people can park their vehicles instead of derelict vehicles or unregistered vehicles parking in the street,” Chowdhury said. “We just make sure that we do as much as we can to elevate [resident’s] parking issues. Especially in this neighborhood.”

Residents and elected officials’ attempts to have the 104 thwart the problem with derelict vehicles and illegally parked cars have also led to e-scooter confiscations.

As a whole, the precinct is up 110% in summonses directly co-related to e-scooters, Chowdhury added.

One example, shared early on Wednesday, Aug. 14, shows the precinct taking to social media to share at least six confiscations of more e-scooters in the area. Additional posts throughout the year also show officers with confiscated e-scooters, loading them into a larger truck to be hauled away.

Chowdhury, who took over command of the 104th Precinct towards the end of January this year, continues to grapple with the logistics of tackling 311 parking complaints with a limited amount of resources.

Regardless of the challenges and the thousands of 311 complaints overall, the CO says the issues will continue to be addressed.

“We take complaints, we try to gather information and try to see where our most complaints coming from,” Chowdhury said, “Then we target those locations, making sure that these cars are no longer in the street if it’s derelict, or not registered.”

 

DOT held pop-ups to pass Paseo Park funding

 

 Queens Chronicle

Want to be a part of planning the future of Paseo Park, the 26-block stretch of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights that has been transformed into a combination of limited-access roadway and car-free pedestrian plaza?

You’ve got your chance, at pop-up events being held by the Alliance for Paseo Park, which advocates for turning the hybrid corridor into a permanent linear park.

The next event is set for tonight, Aug. 15, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the corner of 34th Avenue and 86th Street. Following that is one on Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at the corner with 79th Street, next to the farmer’s market. Then there will be one Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the corner with 89th Street — that event will be held in Spanish.

More outreach is planned, including workshops that will be held by the city Department of Transportation, which led the first event on June 18. The DOT retains jurisdiction over 34th Avenue, though it coordinates with the Parks Department in places where programming and operations might overlap.

The transformation of the corridor began as an Open Streets project in the spring of 2020. Running 1.3 miles from 69th Street to Junction Boulevard, Paseo Park is the largest and most successful open street in the city, according to the Alliance. The city has allocated $88 million to transforming it.

“We are working on improvements to the existing design that will further enhance the quality of this public open space and the overall Open Street,” the DOT told the Chronicle via email. “We will monitor such upgrades and use them to inform the capital design.”

The Alliance uses more enthusiastic language.

“I grew up in this neighborhood without access to green space,” Luz Maria Mercado, the group’s board chair, said in a statement accompanying the announcement of the public engagement series. “I could only peek through the gates of the private co-op gardens. Green spaces should be for everyone. It’s crucial that we, as a community, lead this, by gathering as much feedback as possible from our neighbors, reaching every corner of our diverse community with a multi-lingual, multi-level approach.”

Jackson Heights has very little park space, and further transforming 34th Avenue would give it up to 7.5 acres, the group says.

The Alliance also recognizes that not everyone is on board with its dreams.

“We are committed to working together and building consensus with our neighbors, including those who may not share our vision,” Executive Director Dawn Siff said in her statement accompanying the announcement. “We believe good design can solve many people’s legitimate concerns and together we can create a space that prioritizes the safety, health and enjoyment of our community.”

Siff says turnout has been great at the Alliance’s events, as people are drawn in by the group’s bright green tent and large, interactive map — as well as coloring pages set out for the children.

“Most importantly, we are having more in-depth conversations with our neighbors and giving space to hear people’s ideas, hopes, questions and concerns,” she said in an email to the Chronicle.

Siff said that overwhelmingly, people are excited, with many wanting the avenue to be a park with green space and shade. Some are concerned that the existing layout is confusing and causes conflict among different users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists and kids on scooters. She noted that the design is temporary. There also are safety concerns because cars, mopeds and motorcycles still speed through even though the space is not supposed to be used as a through street anymore.

Usually at the DOT fake workshops with the public, they would have a half dozen interpreters to translate for them, so will this Spanish one have an English interpreter so locals who can make this one can know what's going on and what's being said? 

They really want this 88 million dollars, which I think a chunk of it is going to Dawn's buddies WXY. 

“The conversations are overwhelmingly positive, reflecting what we see each day, with the constant use of Paseo Park/34th Avenue for recreation, exercise, gathering, safe commuting and more,” Siff said, reiterating her belief that good design can address valid concerns people have. “This is why we’ve engaged WXY, to help surface these concerns and make recommendations about how they can be addressed.”

WXY Architecture + Urban Design is a firm dedicated to community-driven processes for planning public spaces.

 

Judge brings the noise back

 

QNS

A Queens Supreme Court judge officially dismissed one of several lawsuits brought against the operators of Forest Hills Stadium on Wednesday in a win for concertgoers.

At the end of 2023, Concerned Citizens of Forest Hills Inc. et al. vs. The West Side Tennis Club, which leases out the stadium, was filed in the Queens Supreme Court. Less than a year later, the judge found that the plaintiffs “failed to indicate that the harm is isolated to only them” and not the wider community. 

Three named plaintiffs outlined significant and “unbearably loud” noise that travels from the stadium on concert nights into their homes on behalf of hundreds of residents. They say that for the last decade, they have struggled to relax at home due to the noise that exceeds the city’s noise code and continues past the 10 p.m. curfew. 

Some residents supported the lawsuit’s call to cease concerts at the historic stadium in hopes of bringing back quiet to the residential neighborhood. However, in recent weeks, over 25,000 people signed a Change.org petition in support of the stadium and its benefits to the community.

In their request for the community’s support, organizers of the stadium called the lawsuit “frivolous” and defended themselves as good neighbors to local residents. The group responsible for bringing some of the top acts in music to Queens in the warmer months was glad to hear that the judge dismissed the suit.

“The entire Forest Hills Stadium team is delighted and grateful to the court for today’s decision. We are also heartened by the outpouring of love from the Forest Hills community, our neighbors and the more than 25,000 people who have signed a petition to support the Stadium,” read a statement from Akiva Shapiro of Gibson Dunn, a law firm retained by the West Side Tennis Club.

Get him

 

AMNY 

Federal investigators hit Mayor Eric Adams, City Hall and his 2021 campaign with a fresh round of subpoenas in connection with the federal corruption probe into his campaign, according to published reports Thursday evening.

The three subpoenas, which were served in July, requested materials including text messages, other forms of communication and documents, reported New York Times, which broke the story along with the New York Post.

Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications, did not confirm the reports, instead referring an amNewYork Metro reporter to Boyd Johnson and Brendan McGuire, Adams’ legal counsel in the investigation.

McGuire, in a statement that a spokesperson provided, indicated that the Adams campaign is cooperating with the federal probe after conducting “our own investigation of the areas we understand the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been reviewing.”

“Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,” McGuire said. “To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the Mayor. To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the US Attorney. We continue to cooperate with the investigation and are in the process of responding to the recently issued subpoenas.”

Levy, in a statement, reiterated that the mayor is cooperating with federal investigators.

“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has been clear over the last nine months that he will cooperate with any investigation underway. Nothing has changed. He expects everyone to cooperate to swiftly bring this investigation to a close.”

The federal probe into Adams’ 2021 campaign first bursted into public view nine months ago when FBI agents raided the home of his former chief fundraiser: Brianna Suggs.

The Fast And The Socialist

 

NY Post

A far-left NYC councilwoman who ran for office on an anti-car-agenda and pushed a crackdown on dangerous driving is a road menace who’s racked up four speeding tickets in a little more than a year, The Post has learned.

Queens Democratic Socialist Tiffany Cabán was slapped with seven traffic tickets totaling $490 in fines and late fees since November 2022 — including four in the past 13 months for being caught on camera speeding in school zones, a review of city records shows.

The remaining summonses on the pol’s black Chevy Cruze include two for blocking fire hydrants, and another for parking in a “No Standing” zone. 

New Yorkers are tired of the self-righteous, sanctimonious, anti-public safety elected officials who push their ‘do as I say, not as I do’ agendas, demanding we abandon our cars while they drive everywhere, and flout the very laws they impose on us,” said Councilman Robert Holden, a moderate Queens Dem.

“The hypocrisy and double standards of the left is truly astounding,” he added. 

While campaigning for Council in 2021, Cabán advocated converting at least 25% of all city roadways “into space for people” as part of her New York-version of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stalled Green New Deal plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nationwide. 

Cabán, who represents Astoria and nearby neighborhoods, called on the city during the campaign to create “1,000-lane miles” of permanent car-free “Open Streets,” 500 miles of dedicated bus-only lanes and 500 miles of new bike lanes.

“We can improve living conditions for [District 22] residents by improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, encouraging social and physical activity, and increasing accessibility through transit and biking upgrades,” said Cabán in campaign literature pushing the pie-in-the-sky plan.  

 It's really delish seeing Tiff get caught like this (check out those rims on her Cruze!). But what's even better is that only a few months ago she was helping the Department of Transportation Alternatives promote an expensive plan to redesign 31st ave in Astoria to ban vehicle traffic on some streets and make the entire stretch a freeway for ebikes.

Mayor Adams appoints another person with no firefighting experience to be FDNY commissioner

  

NY Post

Security firm CEO Robert Tucker will be named the next commissioner of the FDNY on Monday, sources told The Post Sunday night.

Tucker, who leads security giant T&M as CEO and chairman, is expected to get the nod from Mayor Eric Adams to replace Laura Kavanagh after she stepped down earlier this month amid multiple controversies and tension with the department over her leadership.

Tucker, who was widely seen as a top contender for the job, also sits on the board of the FDNY Foundation and has long circled the FDNY during his career dating back decades, though he has never served as a firefighter. 

He once described himself as a “fire buff” dating back to his childhood. 

“When I was a young boy growing up in Manhattan, I was a fire buff,” Tucker said, according to a FDNY Foundation spotlight. “I used to chase fire engines on my bicycle. I had the opportunity to meet Commissioner [Joseph] Spinnato and I told him about my interest in the Department.”

Spinnato served as commissioner for the department for some of the 1980s.

As a teenager, he worked in the FDNY’s Manhattan Communications Office, which he called the “best job offer I would ever receive.”

A graduate of George Washington University and Pace University School of Law, Tucker worked as a special assistant to the Queens District Attorney’s Office for years before he joined T&M in 1999, according to the member spotlight.

The security firm has been in business since 1981 and focuses on providing integrated security, cyber, intelligence and investigative solutions, according to its website.

 No one will ever be worse than Lithium-ion Laura but appointing a guy who's basically an FDNY groupie doesn't bode well for this town either. Tucker is the second guy who ran a security corporation Mayor Adams hired to lead a department. The other one being Phil Banks, although Adams made up a deputy mayor position and an office of public safety for him that which makes him a defacto police commissioner of the NYPD

Donnie and the City Of Yes gets fed their brunch

Today, I testified before the Queens Borough President to make it clear that I am totally opposed to the City of Yes Housing Opportunity proposal. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/2WMeFNnwb2

— Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) August 8, 2024

Donnie Rich made sure an elected official would not be seen making a case against the most dangerous housing plan ever concocted in New York City. But the woman here made the most of her opportunity to describe what a obligatory ruse this hearing was and what these officials are.

I listened to the ⁦@QnsBPRichards⁩’ public hearing today for the City of Yes. A solid 80%+ speakers are opposed to this plan. I hope ⁦@NYCMayor⁩ ⁦@NYCCouncil⁩ ⁦⁦@NYCPlanning⁩ are taking note and reading the room.#NoToCityOfYes pic.twitter.com/rrwZprVvU4

— Jean (@queens_parents) August 8, 2024

The City Of Yes always existed, it just needed a brand

 

Years before the City of Yes became a thing and an annoying catch phrase, the city already approved rezoning to build higher and denser in Jamaica. Like this block here on Waltham St between 97th and 95th avenues. One block away from the behemoth tower hyperdevelopment on Suthphin Blvd.

  

This is the little bit of housing NYC Planning, Mayor Adams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards wants in your neighborhoods and think this make rents trickle down all over the city.

Unfortunately for the rent-burdened and homeless, those trickle down rents will have to wait for this one since it's in a state of suspension. 

Everything about the City Of Yes is a lie that's been told before for the last decade.

 

City Of Yes time again

That process is running through Queens this week, as my office will be hosting a public hearing on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity on Thursday at 10am at Borough Hall — all are welcome to come testify.

You can also testify via Zoom by clicking here: https://t.co/UQaGWeFruj https://t.co/ehfQ1BvSF7

— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) August 5, 2024

QBP Donnie Richards (and all the yimby moles in his staff) decided to have his City of Yes public hearing at 10 a.m. when most of his constituents who are homeonwers like him will be at work. But you can make it on zoom via this link. Hope it gets lit up like the last one with NYC Planing Dirty Dan Garodnick. Maybe Don will allow clapping at this one.

Goth Barbie Dream House

 

  

This dreary little abode is located in hip Rockaway Beach and it is the most blackest house and pinkest scaffolding I've ever seen. It's also a year behind schedule.

 

 

It seems inspired partly by Spinal Tap's infamous "Smell The Glove" album and partly by The Hart Foundation. It would be cool if Bret had a vacation home here.

 

The cops call it criminal mischief in Ozone Park too

 

 

 QNS

Sam Esposito, the former president of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, has been arrested for allegedly ripping off out-of-state license plates from multiple cars, according to authorities.

Police from the 102nd Precinct arrested Esposito on Saturday, July 20, following a reported incident earlier in the week on Sunday, July 14, New York Court records show. 

The complainant, Prakash Raghunauth, is one of the owners of the family-owned auto repair shop Ramesh and Son, located at 86-09 101st Ave. in Ozone Park. The repair shop has been criticized for having cars parked on the street outside, taking up parking spaces.

Raghunath said he reported the incident to the police after obtaining video footage from two nearby businesses of Esposito stealing the plates. The video appears to show Esposito ripping off license plates from the front of his shop and in front of a nearby gas station on Rockaway Boulevard this month.

Video footage obtained by QNS from the auto shop owner shows what appears to be Esposito in a silver van pulling up to cars parked near the shop and ripping off their license plates on multiple occasions.

Esposito has a long history of trying to get parked vehicles that are in derelict condition or unregistered off the streets of Ozone Park. He has been outspoken on the issue at both civic group meetings and on social media. 

The OZPK civic leader, who admitted to QNS that he ripped off the plates, said he was only doing his civic duty and will continue to have cars towed from the area, regardless of any setbacks. He took the plates since vehicles without them are more likely to be towed.

Overall, he said he is not worried about the situation. 

“People aren’t going to bully me to stop doing the work that I do,” Esposito said, adding earlier that thousands of illegal, derelict and unregistered cars are in Ozone Park alone.

 

Queens is Burning: Seven homes destroyed from a massive fire in Queens Village

 

NY Post

A massive fire ripped through Queens Saturday afternoon, injuring 14 people — including 11 firefighters — and damaging multiple buildings, leaving dozens of residents displaced, officials said. 

The blaze began just after 4 p.m., at a two-story residence at 88-21 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens Village, before quickly soaring to five alarms and spreading to seven buildings, according to FDNY officials.  

Over 200 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics responded to the fire, which was brought under control in about two hours, officials said. 

 This was a very fierce fire, and it spread to seven buildings and into the rear and garage area,” FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer said. 

The majority suffered heat-related injuries and were taken to local area hospitals to be treated. 

Dozens of people were estimated to have been displaced, said Frederic Klein, a spokesman with the Red Cross, which was on the scene aiding victims.

The organization said it had registered seven households — consisting of 22 adults and 10 children — for emergency assistance, including temporary lodging and financial assistance.

 In an alley behind Francis Lewis Boulevard where residents parked their cars, at least three vehicles had been charred to a crisp.

 

Minimal Transparency Agency

 

Queens Chronicle

The group Passengers United has been making itself heard throughout the Queens bus redesign process, and the public hearing on July 24 was no exception.

Several members addressed officials of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the Borough Hall meeting, and they were clear about wanting plenty of changes to the amended proposal released last December [see separate story in some editions or at qchron.com].

The group also held a small protest at Borough Hall prior to the hearing, both calling on the MTA to reschedule the event and denouncing the bus plan as drawn up.

Queens Village resident Charlton D’souza, founder and president of the group, said during the hearing that there has been a lack of public input and transparency on the part of the MTA; and that the agency has reneged on promises to emphasize equity with necessary changes tailored to low-income communities and communities of color.

“The way this agency has treated us is disgraceful,” D’souza said. “If all of us right now, tomorrow, next week, we start protesting outside our elected officials’ offices saying we do not want the Queens bus redesign because equity was not even considered ...

“The whole plan, the way it’s been put out, you guys promised us a final plan before you implemented changes. But then you changed the game on us at the last minute and now you’re saying, ‘We’re going to release the plan after this public hearing.’ That is ridiculous. This is absurd.” He promised a civil suit.

As to the group’s preferences, a 21-page presentation of recommendations released on July 24 appeared to be a detailed extension of a letter Passengers United sent to Gov. Hochul dated July 9.

The report, online at passengersunited.org, calls for “serious revisions” to the bus plan.