Queens Is Burning: Flushing

FDNY members operated on scene of a 7-alarm fire earlier this morning at 136-15 37th Avenue in Queens. pic.twitter.com/MKgcr8jzwi

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 9, 2021

 

 QNS

 Firefighters on Saturday morning extinguished a seven-alarm fire that started late Friday night in a Flushing storefront and extended into an adjacent building, according to the FDNY.

After receiving a call just before midnight on Friday, Jan. 8, regarding the blaze at a three-story building located at 136-15 37th Ave., approximately 50 units and 200 FDNY personnel responded to the scene to fight the fire.

 Seven firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the inferno and have been transported to local hospitals.

While a collapse zone has been established, units were still operating at the scene at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, according to the FDNY. The fire was extinguished just before 9 a.m., according to the FDNY.

Impunity City 

Rent at an apartment above the store that got engulfed in flames was for 2,600 a month. 

 

President Richards gives the thumbs up for rezoning in Sunnyside

  

Queens Post

  proposal for a seven story affordable housing complex in Sunnyside is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has come out in support of a rezoning application put forward by Phipps Houses, a non-profit developer, which seeks to construct a seven-story, 167-unit building at 50-25 Barnett Ave.

All of the units in the building would be “affordable” and there would be space on the ground floor for a community facility.

The borough president’s recommendation comes one month after Community Board 2 voted to approve the controversial project by a vote of 28 in favor and 13 against—subject to a series of conditions.

Those conditions centered around Phipps Houses’ questionable history as a property manager in Sunnyside, which many say should disqualify it from developing the new building.

One of those conditions requires Phipps to conduct a series of repairs to the 492-unit Sunnyside Gardens Apartment complex it manages on 39th Avenue over the next six months.

City finally orders closing of sleazy Kew Gardens hotel following murder and pandemic parties

 

 

    NY Post 

A notorious Queens hotel that was the scene of the city’s first shooting homicide on New Year’s morning — and which has long been considered a danger and nuisance by neighbors — has closed.

The Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens Friday night had “hotel closed” signs posted at the lobby entrance, informing neighbors and potential customers that it is no longer in business.

The hotel — at Queens Boulevard and 82nd Avenue — is located across from Borough Hall and near the Queens courthouse.

After months of complaints, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday he was moving to shut the hotel after a triple shooting early New Year’s morning left 20-year-old Robert Williams dead and two others injured and hospitalized.

Neighbors filed more than 100 complaints to authorities and local lawmakers, saying the hotel had become a hub for drugs, prostitution and violence.

They also complained the hotel housed illegal clubs set up by partygoers who rented rooms at cheap rates during the pandemic.

A shooting took place at the Umbrella over the summer; the local 102 Pct. had been stationed outside virtually 24/7 for months.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and local legislators had joined neighbors in calling for the hotel to be shut down.

Get your vaccines on

 

 

Queens Post 

Three COVID-19 vaccination sites will open in Queens next week, the New York City Health Commissioner announced Wednesday.

The sites will open on Friday, Jan. 15 and health care workers — along with others who qualify — will be able to receive the vaccine. The sites will be open seven days a week, by appointment only.

The three “vaccine hubs” are located at schools in Long Island City, Springfield Gardens and on the Rockaway Peninsula.

The announcement of the three sites comes two days after the DOH said it would open its first “vaccine hub” in Queens this Sunday at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica Hills. That site is now accepting appointments and will be open daily.

 LIC Post

The city plans to open a COVID-19 vaccination site for frontline workers in South Ozone Park Monday — despite the fact that the state has not approved frontline workers to be vaccinated yet.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will be ready to open vaccination sites prioritized for frontline workers in each of the five boroughs, including a site at John Adams High School in South Ozone Park.

John Liu forgot what 9/11 was like

Seeing the Twin Towers crumble is no longer the most frightening moment of my life.

— John C. Liu (@LiuNewYork) January 6, 2021

Update:

NY Post 

A New York lawmaker from Queens is getting big blowback for tweeting that since Wednesday’s Capitol riots, the 9/11 attack is no longer his most frightening memory.

“Seeing the Twin Towers crumble is no longer the most frightening moment of my life,” tweeted state Sen. John Liu (D-Queens).

The tweet, which Liu sent at 4:26 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, as the Washington, D.C., riot unfolded, is still being blasted as tone-deaf days later.

 Liu told The Post on Saturday that he was just swept up by the emotion of the moment when he hit send on Wednesday’s tweet.

“My tweet was an emotional response that failed to provide a fuller context and was not meant in any disrespect, especially to those who died on 9/11 and their families,” Liu said, adding, “9/11 is by far the most horrific and outrageous thing I’ve witnessed.”

Still, the Capitol attack “evoked emotions of outrage, horror and fear that I haven’t felt since Sept. 11.,” 

“What happened on that day 20 years ago was by far the most horrific thing I saw in my life and can’t be compared, but watching on TV the American people’s house be attacked — not by terrorists but by other Americans — was frightening,” he added.

Liu was a candidate in the primary elections which were canceled by the 9/11 attacks. He went on to win, becoming the first Asian American elected to the City Council. He was elected to the state Senate in 2018.

“On Sept. 11, 2001, after they canceled the primary election that morning, I returned home in time to watch the towers fall, and I remember feeling the horror and the outrage and the fear, which I, nor any of us, will ever forget,” he said.  

 Maybe you should have wrote your belated (and lame) excuse on a thread following your initial faux pas, dummy.You just wanted to see how many likes you were gonna get.

 

 

Reckless driver who killed Ozone Park woman on Christmas Day is still on the loose

  

Queens Chronicle

Elected officials, religious leaders and Ozone Park residents gathered outside the 102nd Precinct in Ozone Park last Saturday, over a week after a hit-and-run killed Indo-Caribbean vocalist Ritawantee “Rita” Persaud, to demand that the NYPD find the driver who fled the scene of accident.

“This person’s recklessness caused the death of our dear Auntie Rita and there hasn’t been an arrest since. So today we’re asking to pool all our resources, all our energies to endure that this doesn’t end up being a cold case,” organizer Aminta Kilawan-Narine said at the rally.

Persaud, 54, was taking an Uber ride in a black Toyota Camry Dec. 24 when the 50-year-old driver of the vehicle was hit by a man driving a Lamborghini Urus SUV carrying a passenger from the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Uber driver, the Lamborghini passenger and Persaud were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where the former two were listed in stable condition and Persaud was declared dead. The Lamborghini driver fled the scene on foot.

The Hindu community in Queens has been shaken by the death of Persaud, who became well-known in New York and Guyana for singing devotional music at various mandirs in New York and her work teaching her art form to young people.

The rally reflected Persaud’s religious passion. The Pandit Manoj Jadubans, the leader of Persaud’s house of worship, Shaanti Bhavan Mandir in Jamaica, led the crowd in a prayer near the beginning of the event.

“We are obviously saddened and hurt and broken but we still have a strong resolve to ensure there’s justice for her — that senseless death and lack of compassion by running away — that’s not a society and ideals we grew up in,” said Persaud’s cousin, speaking on behalf of her family.

Only buses on Main Street to Flushing

  

Queens Chronicle

Seven months later, the Main Street busway project will finally move forward.

State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Kerrigan struck down a lawsuit by the Flushing Chinese Business Association Jan. 5 that claimed prohibition of street travel for passenger cars and lack of road parking will deter shoppers who drive into the neighborhood, resulting in a dramatic drop in Flushing business. Kerrigan was unconvinced there was evidence that the 0.3-mile stretch of priority bus travel would slow commercial activity.

“How efficacious the Busway plan will be or what precisely its impact will be upon the community, if any, is presently unknown,” Kerrigan wrote before denying the Article 78 proceeding. The judge suggested that opponents address their displeasure with their elected officials instead.

The Rider’s Alliance happily and immediately shared the news Tuesday afternoon, stating, “Today’s decision is a huge victory for 150,000 bus riders across Queens and the Bronx. Citywide, judges have now ruled decisively that when riders win well-deserved priority on busy streets, opponents can’t sue and get their way. Just as Trump and his supporters can’t overturn the vote, neither can courts ‘invade the province’ of transportation policymakers on behalf of a few rich NIMBYs.”

James Sanders was living large on taxpayers dime while in City Council

NY Post 

 A state lawmaker from Queens was slapped with a $15,000 fine for accepting free meals and trips from a nonprofit that he boosted during his time on the City Council — all of which were paid for by Big Apple taxpayers, according to the city’s ethics watchdog.

State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens) scored five stays in luxury accommodations at a resort in the Poconos and five swank Hudson River dinner cruises for himself and family members from the Margert Community Corporation, a non-profit that provides rent assistance and other social services to low-income families.

All told, Sanders cashed in on gifts worth at least $4,000 from the MCC as he doled out more than $840,000 in city funds to the group, the Conflict of Interest Board said in its report, which was released Tuesday.

COIB determined that Sanders broke ethics rules an astonishing 18 times between 2008 and 2012 as he represented Far Rockaway and adjacent neighborhoods as a city lawmaker.

 

Kathryn Garcia wants to upzone us into oblivion

"Former NYC Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia is running for NYC Mayor this year. Below is a portion of her plan to address the affordable housing and homelessness issues. I received this today via email. She was soliciting for campaign contributions.

These two issues are important to work on, however, some of her proposals are rather shocking and reflect the increasing attacks on our contextual rezonings and our fight against dangerous illegal conversions. Again, this is a portion of Ms. Garcia's Policy Statement.

Is this what we can expect to hear from other candidates for Mayor this year?" - anonymous

Housing supply has not kept up with demand. We added 500k New Yorkers over the last decade, but only 100k units of new housing.

Public dollars cannot fund all affordable housing, but we can make it easier and faster for private partners to build.

That means comprehensive upzoning to ensure all neighborhoods - particularly those rich in transit, jobs, and great schools - have their fair share of affordable housing.

We need to get creative: end apartment bans and legalize basement apartments, accessory dwelling units, and single-room occupancy apartments (SROs).

Accelerate approvals for new housing construction by streamlining the ULURP and environmental review process, especially for affordable housing projects.

Here she comes to save the day!

New state assembly bill proposal gives Cuomo more disturbing powers

 NY Senate

 

The Blaz and The Brad flaunt pandemic protocols by partaking in events banished to their constituents

This is #deBlastopia

This is also the ultimate elitist statement and blatant display by a man and woman who treat the city like they own it. https://t.co/fG7QGzen9i

— JQ LLC: Good Troublemaker/Impunity City (@jqllc) January 2, 2021

We’re ready for you, 2021! pic.twitter.com/PfzkZmV9Rm

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) January 1, 2021

The original polar bears cancelled the plunge this year.

Shootings in Queens since the ball drop

East Elmhurst

Long Island City

Kew Gardens

New Year's Eve honorable mention in Jamaica

Douglaston is getting a homeless shelter for senior women?

 

  

Patch 

  A homeless shelter for senior women will open late next year in Douglaston, according to city officials.

The 75-bed shelter will be located at 243-02 Northern Blvd., previously occupied by Pride of Judea Community Services, and will be run by the nonprofit Samaritan Village.

It is the first homeless shelter in the Northeast Queens district overseen by Community Board 11, according to the NYC Department of Social Services, which oversees the Department of Homeless Services.

"New Yorkers from every community across the five boroughs have experienced and continue to experience homelessness, so we need every community to come together to address homelessness – now more than ever, in the midst of this unprecedented crisis," Associate Press Secretary Neha Sharma wrote in an emailed statement.

"This new high-quality facility will be the first traditional shelter in this Community District, offering 75 senior women experiencing homelessness the opportunity to get back on their feet safely and closer to their anchors of life, like jobs, healthcare, family, and houses of worship."

QC:  First shelter I’ve heard of for senior women. But then again this CB is special.

It’s ok, SV will F it up anyway.

 

JQ:  They made 76 million dollars this year in city contracts. Pandemic has been quite lucrative for these non-profits. City would save probably 3/4 of that if they made this supportive housing instead.

Food for thought on density

From the NY Post/AP:

Crowded houses and apartments are often cited as a source of spread, particularly in Los Angeles, which has some of the densest neighborhoods in the US Households in and around LA often have several generations — or multiple families — living under one roof. Those tend to be lower-income areas where residents work essential jobs that can expose them to the virus at work or while commuting.

This is exactly the pattern in NYC as well. High income areas, where 2-3 people live together in an apartment, such as LIC, Greenpoint and most of Manhattan, have low spread. A lot of people living together in a small space is going to encourage spread. When Cuomo talks of this being a virus of density, he means the city as a whole. But it's the indoor density that counts.

But also remember that for decades the city's position was that if you push for lower zoning in neighborhoods where illegal conversions are rampant, or demand enforcement of existing occupancy codes, you are a racist. We have groups now pushing for legalizing cellar and attic apartments, which in many cases have no ventilation. This isn't going to stop the spread, but rather encourage it.

Remember this as the dope-a-crats chide people over wearing masks and wanting to eat indoors. This entire pandemic response is a classic case of tweeding in lieu of actually governing effectively.

The first shooting and street killing of 2021 happened in Queens at the sleazy Kew Gardens hotel

 

NY Post 

One person was killed and two others injured during a shooting at a hotel in Queens on Friday morning, sources said.

The shooting took place at the Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens around 1 a.m., according to police sources.

Three males were stuck by gunfire during a gathering outside the building.

All three were taken to Queens General Hospital, where one died from his injuries. The other two were being treated for their wounds.

Their ages were not available early Friday.

Crappy New Year!

God help us all.

Day of the Squirrel

 

CBS New York 

 

Today Rego Park, tomorrow the world

Chain stores are vanishing too

 

Queens Post 

 The number of chain stores in Queens dropped by more than 10 percent over the past year, according to a new report.

In all, 198 chain stores shut their doors in the borough — an 11 percent drop over the past year, according to the Center for an Urban Future’s 13th annual State of the Chains report.

Citywide, more than 1,000 chain stores — nearly one out of every seven — closed in 2020. The report defines a chain store as part of a national or regional chain that has at least two locations in New York City and at least one location outside city limits.

Queens saw the second biggest drop of the five boroughs, behind Manhattan. Twenty retailers experienced a net decline of at least three stores in Queens during 2020, according to the report

Illegal vendor sidewalk serenade

  

NY Post

 Live crabs. Bras with rhinestones. Old shoes. Frayed electrical cords. Knock-off Louis Vuitton clutches. Disposable face masks. Mets caps.

Illegal street peddlers hawking such items have taken over the outer boroughs, clogging sidewalks with their second-hand wares and pulling customers from pandemic-ravaged mom-and-pop shops.

And everybody is pointing the finger at Mayor de Blasio.

From Brooklyn to the Bronx, Staten Island and Queens, folding tables and mats rolled out on the ground force pedestrians to go single-file or step aside so they don’t get run over.

In the Bronx, 149^th Street and Fordham Road are hotspots. So is Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park and Flushing’s Main Street, especially the few blocks from the Post Office at Sanford Avenue to the 7 Train station at Roosevelt Avenue.

 On Main, between Sanford and 41^st Avenue, The Post counted 27 street vendors – on just one side of the street. Two pulled out yellow licenses, showing they’re military veterans. Six shook their heads like they didn’t understand English. The others turned away or looked down when asked to show their licenses.

DianSong Yu of the Flushing Business Improvement District estimates 90 percent of the vendors aren’t licensed. Citywide, the number of all kinds of vendors stands at roughly 20,000, according to the Street Vendor Project, an advocacy group. But legit general merchandise license-holders, not including mobile food vendors, total a few thousand.

“It’s a very tough time for everybody, we get it,” Yu told The Post. “But we need to be fair to the local merchant who are paying very high rent and taxes. And they’re hurting.”

Bobby has a yellow license for his spot on Main — and he’s mad about the infiltrators. “They’re robbing the city of taxes. They’re taking money from the veterans. They’re taking jobs,” said Bobby, who wouldn’t give his last name but told The Post he fought in Vietnam.

 

He's eighteen and wants to be elected

 

NY Post

He’s barely old enough to vote, but says he’s ready to be elected. 

Seth Breland, an 18-year-old Democrat from Fresh Meadows, hopes to replace City Councilman Barry Grodenchik in Northeastern Queens when he steps down at the end of next year.

If he is able to get on the ballot in November 2021 and win, Breland would be the youngest elected official in the city’s history. Former Bronx Councilman Joel Rivera, elected in 2001 at age 22, currently holds that title. 

Breland, a graduate of World Journalism Preparatory High School in Flushing, who is now studying political science at Long Island University Post campus, says his age is a benefit on the campaign trail — if not for the publicity alone. 

“I realize the age can be a limitation, but at the same time … it can be an advantage if I play it right,” he said. “My age will give me the sort of attention and enthusiasm to really fight for our district.”

Breland, who turned 18 in May and cast his first legal ballot in November for Joe Biden, said he was inspired to run by another young, progressive Queens politician, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was elected to Congress at age 28.

“AOC is definitely an inspiration in terms of her age. I had been following her campaign for a while at that point, and it was really inspiring to see,” he said.

Cuomo loses another lockdown case

 

 

WGRZ 

And Biden wants this guy to be the nation's attorney general. Minchia.

A Crappy Christmas To All

Fish Feast

 

Landlord suspected of starting fire in illegally converted Elmhurst house

 

 NY Post

An FDNY dog found traces of accelerant on three gloves inside the car of a Queens landlord whose apartment house burned down in a suspicious fire that killed three people, police sources told The Post.

Cops and fire investigators were searching the home and Toyota 4Runner of Eric Chen in Flushing late Tuesday, when the canine made the discovery, the sources said.

Police seized the SUV, as well as digital recording equipment, a computer monitor and a hard drive, the sources said.

No arrests have been made in the case and no charges have been brought.

Chen, 29, purchased the home at 90-31 48th Ave. in February, and had since tried evict eight tenants who remained in the house.

Building department records show that as many as 60 people may have lived in the home at one point — one of 26 open violations at the three-family Elmhurst home.

Most of the violations occurred before Chen bought the property, records show.

And now it's time for the airing of grievances

Happy Festivus, everyone.

As a gift from me to you, here's a downloadable and printable sign for your home or business.

Socially distanced protesting is where it's at!

Cuomo the Tyrant by queenscrapper on Scribd

Eviction hotline ad found on Rockaway Rail Line

Impunity City 

 

Bad RAD exonerates NYCHA from filing repairs

 

 THE CITY

 One by one, the nation’s biggest public housing authority is turning over management of tens of thousands of its 175,000 apartments to the private sector.

And with every apartment that goes into private hands, long-awaited repairs are deemed “closed” — even though the fixes haven’t taken place, a housing advocacy group charged in court papers filed this week.

Instead, tenants are instructed to tell the development’s new management team about what work needs to be done. NYCHA officials — who have struggled for years to reduce a massive repair request backlog that recently hit a record 475,000 — then get to take those jobs off the books.

This bureaucratic sleight of hand is taking place under an Obama-era program called Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) in which NYCHA turns building management over to a private company while retaining ownership of the property. To date, 9,500 units have been converted, with another 12,000 to follow in the next few months.

 All told, NYCHA plans to transfer 62,000 apartments into RAD and a local version of the program called Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) by the time the transformation is complete.

This set-up allows NYCHA to raise money via up-front fees from developers, who are charged with upgrading and maintaining the complexes. The developers pocket the tenants’ rent going forward and must ensure living conditions are safe.

Rep. Maloney proposes bill for more LLC transparency

 

QNS

 

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is pitching a bill on Capitol Hill that will put an end to shell companies across the United States, and possibly alleviate some of the issues facing everyday New Yorkers in an inflated housing market.

The main objective of the bill, however, is national security exemplified in the history of 650 Fifth Ave., once owned by the Iranian government and used to launder money for the benefit of terrorism groups.

“It’s not owned by the government of Iran anymore. It’s owned by a private U.S. company, but for many years, Iran was able to circumvent U.S. sanctions and launder their money, right here, in the US financial system,” Maloney said. “Now, people ask how did they do this? They used two anonymous shell companies, both formed here in the United States that hid their ownership. Fortunately the era of anonymous shell companies is almost about to end.”

Arson suspected in illegally converted house fire in Elmhurst

 

 

NY Daily News 

 Investigators are narrowing in on arson as the likely cause of a blaze that killed three people in Queens, law enforcement sources said Monday.

 Investigators found traces of an accelerant inside the gutted three-story home on 48th Ave. near 91st St. in Elmhurst, suggesting the deadly fire may have been intentionally set. Other possible causes are still being probed, the sources said.

Security video shows someone leaving the building right before the fire started, the sources said. No suspect has been identified.

 

 

The replacements for District 31 council seat

 

Queens Eagle 

Thirteen candidates filed petitions before a Wednesday night deadline to run in the February special election to replace former Councilmember Donovan Richards.

Richards vacated his seat in Southeast Queens’ Council District 31 when he took office as Queens Borough President earlier this month, triggering the special contest on Feb. 23. The election will be the second test of New York City’s new ranked-choice voting system following another special in Council District 24 Feb. 2. 

Veteran government strategist and communications professional Selvena Brooks-Powers was the first candidate to submit her petition signatures, followed by attorney Bradley Jared Berfas.

Berfas lists an address in Cedarhurst, a Long Island town that is not in the district, not in Queens and not in New York City. He did not respond to requests for comment.

The other candidates include Richards’ chief of staff Manny Silva, home healthcare training school founder Nancy Martinez and Jewish community leader Pesach Osina, who lost to Richards by 70 votes in a 2013 special election.

LaToya Benjamin, the economic director for James Sanders and assistant school superintendent Shawn Rux are also running.

As are Democratic District Leader Rev. Sherwyn James, filmmaker Perri Pierre and special needs advocate Nicole Lee.

Also in the mix: Republican Joseph Kasper, a perennial candidate for judgeships in Queens who temporarily ran for Council in District 30 as placeholder before giving up the GOP ballot line to Robert Holden in 2017.

Public school teacher Latanya Collins and Kevin Carter round out the field.

Only three candidates filed their campaigns before the July 15 financial disclosure deadline. Silva led the early fundraising with $7,425, followed by Benjamin with $3,421 and Brooks-Powers with $100.

The district is separated into two geographic areas: the Southeast Queens communities of Laurelton, Rosedale and Springfield Gardens, and the eastern Rockaway Peninsula neighborhoods of Arverne, Edgemere and Far Rockaway. 

More than two-thirds of the residents are Black, 16 percent are Hispanic, and 11 percent are white, according to U.S. Census data. There is also a large Orthodox Jewish community in Far Rockaway that voted as a bloc for Osina in 2013.

Frosty the Deity

  

 

Queens Eagle

At the foot of the meadow in Astoria Park, just beyond a crop of trees and not far from the century-old Hellgate Bridge, a towering bust carved in snow and ice appeared Thursday evening. 

Rising more than six feet in height, his face was encircled with an icy mane of curls. A carrot dangled from the right side of his lips, reminiscent of an expensive cigar. His deep set eyes gazed southward, as if to halt the winds that a day earlier had brought an estimated nine inches of snow to western Queens. Thou shalt not pass, the wizened snowman seemed to say. 

But who was this mystery snowman? Who carefully chiseled his furrowed brow? What earthly beings wrought Old Man Winter of Astoria?

An Eagle investigation initially led only to dead ends. Photos showed several unidentifiable figures bundled up in coats and hats near the sculpture from a distance. 

Most of the responses to the Eagle’s inquiry on the neighborhood Facebook page simply marveled at the artistry and craftsmanship. One person joked it had been made by aliens. 

But then there was a break in the cold case. 

A woman noted that she had met the snow sculptors on Thursday. The mystery has been solved.

Meet artists Marios Tzavellas and Melissa Vadakara.

“I had been sitting on the bench waiting for him, and I said let’s build a snowman,” said Vadakara, 27. He and Vadakara simply picked a patch of untouched snow.

“We just started going,” Vadakara said.

The Astoria residents initially envisioned a Christmas tree, then switched to a portrait, then Santa Claus, and finally a Greek god. “Maybe it’s all of them,” Tzavellas said. 

City gives permits to squeeze another affordable luxury housing building in L.I.C.

 

LIC Post

 Building permits have been filed for a 12-story mixed-use building in the Queens Plaza section of Long Island City.

The plans call for a 125-foot-tall structure at 42-62 Hunter St., according to documents filed with the Dept. of Buildings on Dec.10.

The building will contain 27 apartments and will take up more than 30,000 square feet. There will be three units on each floor from 2 through 9, with one unit on each of the upper floors.

The plans call for retail space on the first floor and in the cellar. There will also be 15 bicycle spaces and a compactor room in the cellar. The plans do not include space for parking.

Rep. Meeks gets appointed to lead foreign affairs committee

 

Queens County Politics

 Queens County Democratic Party Chairman U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica, Laurelton, Rosedale, Cambria Heights, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, The Rockaways, JFK Airport) took a historic step onto the world stage earlier this month when he was elected as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

Meeks fulfilled a dream that he aspired to for years when he was elected as the first Black Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A product of the Civil Rights Movement and a congressman in Queens for more than 20 years, he said he hopes to bring a fresh point of view to the committee and to the country’s foreign policy priorities.  

“I’ve come from a different background, and different life experiences than many of the –– than all of the other chairs have had,” he said. 

 He plans on drawing on his nearly 30 years of experience working and legislating for Queens, first in the State Assembly then in Congress. In those three decades, he learned a lot about the world, and he’s ready to take those lessons to the international stage. Coming of political age in the crucible of Queens has exposed him to a variety of worldviews, he said. 

“The voice that I bring, I think is the voice of a person who represents Southeastern Queens and represents Queens, that is a mini U.N. in and of itself,” he said. “What I think makes the United States the greatest country in the world, we’re not monolithic –– a little bit of this a little bit of that.”

 Can't think of a more perfect pick than the most corrupt member of the House.

City Council law turns streets into commercial performance venues

 

Greenpoint Post

The City Council passed a bill last week that will allow performers to host ticketed events on city streets.

The bill — sponsored by Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer — will establish an “Open Culture” program, modeled after the city’s “Open Restaurants” outdoor dining program.

The program aims to help artists who have struggled to find work since March — when theaters, playhouses and other performance venues were closed due to COVID-19.

Under the “Open Culture” program, eligible artists will be able to perform ticketed concerts, plays, comedy and other events on city streets and at various public spaces, beginning on March 1, 2021.

The Department of Transportation is required to come up with a list of open streets and spaces where eligible artists will be permitted to perform by Feb 1.

The program will be open to artists and groups that have received funding from the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs, or funding from one of the five borough-based arts councils in the past two years. Artists who are not part of these groups can partner with an organization that meets the eligibility requirement.

The legislation passed the Council unanimously last Thursday and is expected to be signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“After an unanimous vote in the Council the new Open Culture program will bring song, dance, comedy, & performances to our streets – starting March 1st,” Van Bramer tweeted. “A big win for our artists and cultural venues, bringing joy & jobs to thousands!”

Artists who perform on streets will be able to charge patrons for tickets to watch their acts.

 Will these patrons include the curious passerby?

 

 

Squatters die in Elmhurst inferno

From the NY Post:

The Fire Department said it received a 5:37 a.m. call for the blaze Saturday at 90-31 48th Ave. It went to a third-alarm at 6:16 a.m.

A neighbor said the three-story house was vacant and that the men who died were squatters.

There were more than 60 people living in the house in early 2020, according to a complaint received by the city Department of Buildings in January 2020 from someone who wanted to rent a room there and “witnessed people using drugs and the whole house smell of marijuana.”

The DOB had issued a partial vacate order in February 2018 because the basement was illegally converted into six living units.

Update: Another person was found dead in the house

The evolution of New York dining

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Voters 1, Tweeders 0

From NY1: A Manhattan State Supreme Court judge on Wednesday refused to halt the rollout of ranked-choice voting in New York City, a major victory for advocates of the new system of voting that is set to be part of city elections next year. With military and overseas ballots set to go out on Friday for a Feb. 2 City Council special election, Justice Carol Edmead declined to issue a temporary restraining order or to set an expedited hearing schedule in the case which was brought by six City Council members and several organizations. “This Court is disinclined to take any action that may result in the disenfranchisement of even one voter or take any action that may result in even one voter’s ballot being nullified,” Edmead wrote in her decision.

Manhattan BP Candidate accuses Cuomo of sexual harassment

  

The Hill

A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Sunday that he sexually harassed her for several years while she worked in his office.

Lindsay Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and a special adviser to Cuomo from 2015 to 2018, said the governor frequently harassed her and that numerous people saw it take place.

"I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation?” Boylan said in a tweet.

"I’m angry to be put in this situation at all. That because I am a woman, I can work hard my whole life to better myself and help others and yet still fall victim as countless women over generations have. Mostly silently," Boylan tweeted. "I hate that some men, like @NYGovCuomo abuse their power."

 

 Boylan, who is currently a candidate for Manhattan borough president, challenged House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) in the 2020 Democratic primaries. She alluded to her allegations earlier this month, tweeting that the governor’s office was the “most toxic team environment” she had ever worked in.

 

Lindsey might have a character witness:

 

More on Impunity City

David Weprin's cash for mustache campaign

 

Pig on the lam

  

NY Daily News

 This little piggy should have stayed home.

An abandoned piglet was rescued from a Queens park but cops and animal control officials are on the lookout for another one that slipped away, officials said Monday.

After receiving a call about a loose pig near Baisley Pond Park creative cops cornered the panicked porker under a car and managed to get her into a crate. The neighbor who discovered the pig had managed to keep her in the area by feeding her potato chips.

From there, it was on to the animal rescue folks at Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, who gave the pig a new home and a new name — Babe — while nursing her back to good health.

But before little Babe could cry wee wee wee, cops learned there was another pig in a poke.

“Unfortunately, a few hours later after we got this piglet from the NYPD they called us back and told us someone reported another piglet running loose,” said anthrozoologist John Di Leonardo, president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature.

“We are currently working under the assumption that someone abandoned them in the park there. The first one was found a few blocks from the park. This other one has been spotted inside the park hours later.”

Queens nurse gets the first vaccine shot

  

The Independent

 New York City has vaccinated the first person in the United States to publicly receive the vaccine, with a nurse receiving her injection in a live-streamed process.

Sandra Lindsay, a critical care director, was given the injection in Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Queens, to applause from those watching. 

Queens was the hardest-hit borough of the hardest-hit city in the nation; the medical center where Ms Lindsay works has seen well over 100,000 Covid patients, and in April they had over 3,500 patients in their hospitals.

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, described it as “the final chapter”.

“But a vaccine doesn’t work if it’s in the vial,” he said.

“I hope this gives you and your colleagues a little more of a sense of safety and confidence, when you get the second shot.”

Ms Lindsey said that the injection felt the same as any other.

“I’m feeling well. I would like to thank all the frontline workers, all my colleagues, who have been doing a yeoman’s job to fight this pandemic all over the world,” she said.

"I feel hopeful today. I am relieved. I feel like healing is coming, I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.

"I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe. We are in a pandemic so we all need to do our part to put an end to the pandemic and not give up so soon.

Jamaica Avenue's million dollar pit of despair and graffiti

 

 Impunity City 

 On the day after the six-alarm fire that destroyed the homes above storefronts in Richmond Hill and taking pics of the charred windows on the buildings, strolling about 8 blocks east by Lefferts Blvd. there exists this unsightly gated wall protruding on the sidewalk next to a barber shop and a ministry. I call it a gated wall because it’s secured with a lock and chain.

 Unfortunately the wall itself wasn’t as resilient. As evident by this unsightly and hazardous profusion. Which is easily accessible to passerby, especially children.

 

Shadow smothering Steinway

Strolling through Astoria, thought I get a glimpse at the Steinway Mansion that I have read about all these years on Queens Crap by George the Atheist.

 

 

 

 

Truly a sight to behold.

 

Cuomo is holding virtue vanity birthday party fundraiser with celebrity cameos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It's pretty warped and brazenly unethical to be raising money for yourself as small businesses and their employees will lose money because of a lockdown mandate based on very dubious indicators.

What is the tyrant's I mean Governor's idea of a "Young Professional Slash Activist" and what makes him think this individual has fifty dollars to spare?

Sit on it, Andrew.

 

D.A. Katz is trying to convict a woman for fake gun running

 

 Queens Eagle

NYPD officers acting on a tip last December raided the home of Elizaveta Zlatkis and found a cache of guns scattered around her Forest Hills apartment. The next day, cops from the 112th Precinct arranged the 22 seized weapons on a table and posed for a Twitter photo commemorating the bust.

Queens prosecutors charged Zlatkis, 31, with first-degree criminal possession of a weapon — a charge that carries a possible 25-year prison sentence — and a few local news outlets covered the case.

There was just one problem with the narrative and the charges: 21 of the 22 supposed firearms were airsoft rifles, toy replicas or starter pistols — the kind used at track meets — incapable of firing ammunition, according to the NYPD’s own laboratory reports. 

The one actual firearm was rendered “inoperable” because the trigger, hand grip and internal components were all missing, according to the NYPD’s firearms analysis. 

But a year after her Dec. 27, 2019 arrest, Zlatkis is still facing the first-degree weapons charge, which is based on possession of ten or more firearms. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has declined to drop the case against Zlatkis, who has refused to take a plea deal.

The case has made her life hell, she said. A quick Google search of her uncommon name reveals why. The first six results are news articles about her arrest.

Friends from high school have posted those articles on Facebook and she decided to turn down an initial job offer after she learned about the company’s intensive background checks, Zlatkis said.

“I look completely crazy,” Zltakis told the Eagle. “It’s humiliating.”

She and her husband Elvis Selimi loan the guns to rappers and producers to use in music videos, she said. Zltakis even appears in the background of at least one of the videos for a song by the artist Tay Spades.

“We do videos with them as props,” said Rosedale rapper Crucial, who has become friends with Zlatkis and Selimi. “I didn’t know you could actually get in trouble with all that. That’s wild. They’re fake.”

Astoria Houses residents can cook hot meals again after 3 month outage

 

 Queens Eagle

Cooking gas was finally restored for residents of the Astoria Houses Thursday, after a nearly three-month outage left them unable to use their stoves or ovens. 

Nearly 50 units in the NYCHA apartment complex were left without gas beginning September 23, forcing them to rely on hot plates, takeout or support from the local community.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris introduced legislation in October to reduce the rent for public housing tenants who lose their utilities, including gas. 

“While I am pleased these residents now have service restored, this whole episode represents an unacceptable failure from NYCHA. Rent-paying tenants deserve better,” Gianaris said.

NYCHA said workers cut the main gas valve due to a leak. The repair process took weeks to complete because it required multiple steps further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a NYCHA spokesperson told the Eagle in October.