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Exclusive: 1-year-interview with Ariola

glendaleregstg on February 8, 2023

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

Last year, Joann Ariola comfortably sailed to victory to represent City Council District 32 – which stretches from Belle Harbor up to Southeast Queens nabes like Howard Beach, Ozone Park and Woodhaven.

The Queens Republican bested Democratic candidate Felicia Singh, capturing over 67 percent of the vote in a district previously represented by fellow Republican Eric Ulrich since 2009.

Although she was just elected to her first term last year: Ariola has been a long time presence in the community. A lifelong resident of the district, Ariola, 64, previously served the president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association and as the Chairwoman of the Queens Republican Party.

Our paper dedicated to catch up with Ariola to discuss her first year in office as well as discuss upcoming initiatives.

“What surprised me most was [after my first year] how well, a body of 51 people who come from different backgrounds and ideologies can really pull together to make a better city,” Ariola said in a recent Zoom interview.

While Ariola is one of a handful of Republicans in the Democrat denominated city council, she said that she often takes a bipartisan approach to legislating, citing her position on the Common Sense Caucus – a group of conservative and center-leaning legislators, which include registered Democrats like Bob Holden and Kalman Yeger.

In her first year in office, Ariola has been the first primary sponsor of five pieces of legislation and two resolutions. One of Ariola’s bills, a law that requires the Fire Department to survey firehouses on whether they have gender specific bathrooms for female firefighters, was passed by the council and signed by the Mayor last year.

“And the mayor has already signed that into law and you know, that had widespread bipartisan support. Why? because it’s common sense. That’s how I approach things,” Ariola said.

Ariola also wrote a bill that would create an office of Marine Debris Disposal and Vessel Surrendering, which would be responsible for coordinating between federal, state and local authorities to remove debris from New York City’s shores; find ways to recycle and reuse the material; as well as developing new practices to prevent the act.

While the bill is still in committee, it has been sponsored by a majority of the council. Ariola told BQE Media that she expects the bill to pass before the end of February.

“We cannot win in this district, a Republican cannot win without Democrat and Independent voters,” Ariola said, who represents a district where over 50 percent of voters are registered Democrats.

“I ran on three major points to the platform: public safety, quality of life and education. Those are the three top subjects when we were knocking on doors – that’s what people cared about most,” she continued. “And that resonated with the voters. It didn’t matter their background – any type of ethnic background, religious background, or enrollment in a party.”

In respect to quality of life issues, Ariola said she has tackled the issue by funding additional cleanups in both commercial districts and residential streets in the neighborhood. While the issue has not fully been addressed, she said the city is in the procurement phases to get cameras to monitor chronic dumping areas throughout the district. She also emphasized working with the Queens Economic Development Program to clean up graffiti in the district.

While 2022 issues largely centered around public safety, Ariola said that quality of life issues and the economy. Specifically, Ariola said that she is looking into taxes and contributing reasons to why New Yorkers are leaving for other states.

Ariola exclusively told BQE Media that she will be sponsoring legislation that would require Deliveristas to have to register their vehicles and have them insured.

While Ariola is repping many of the same neighborhoods as previous years, her district lines have added slivers of Glendale and Woodhaven while losing parts of Ozone Park.

While Ariola hasn’t represented Glendale before, she said one of the local issues she would focus on would be monitoring the Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center, which has drawn the ire of locals.

“I will work as hard for the Glendale homeless shelter, the one that is just across the border in Woodhaven as as I do for the one in Rockaway to make sure that the people who are running the shelters are held accountable for their their population, and that their population is not an at risk population for our host community,” said Ariola.

In response to a question about representing the new areas, Ariola noted that despite being in different nabes, her constituents have similar issues across the district.

“I realized that there are some areas that are more specific in their issues than others, but they don’t want the loud noise from cars,” she said. “So it’s noise complaints. It’s garbage complaints. It’s the fact that construction may be being done on a school.”

Three Years Later, Memories of Neir’s Salvation

glendaleregstg on January 18, 2023

The jubilant scene outside Neir’s after it had been announced that the historic tavern had received a reprieve.

By Ed Wendell
What if you went to a funeral but the corpse didn’t show up? That’s what it was like at Neir’s Tavern, three years ago last week, when it rose triumphantly from its deathbed to become the toast of the town.
In the hours and days after the news broke that Neir’s was closing after 190 years of service, people began suggesting ways that this historic location could be saved.
Ideas came forth ranging from calling Martin Scorsese, who directed “Goodfellas” or Robert De Niro, who starred in it, to pulling together a large pool of investors to donate $1,000 each to make a down payment on the building.
But the problem that could not be solved in 10 years now needed to be solved in just a few days, before Sunday.
And the way the eulogies were pouring in, it seemed like Sunday was going to come and go without a resolution. People were leaving heartfelt messages of grief. The closest nearby bar, Geordie’s, posted a beautiful message of support for Neir’s owner Loy Gordon.
But as it turned out, there was a solution in the works, and the ball had gotten rolling on that nearly a year earlier when Assemblyman Mike Miller began a dialogue with Tom Grech, Executive Director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce (QCC).
With just days to go, Mike and Tom were able to pull together a meeting with the building’s owner and as Mr. Grech joked later, he locked the door to the meeting room and said no one was allowed to leave until they struck a deal.
The Mayor’s Office got involved after Loy called into a radio show and asked Mayor de Blasio for help. And Councilman Bob Holden was at the table, offering aid and support to this beloved historic location within his district.
And once everyone got together, a deal was reached and the next few hours were bedlam.
I was in the doctor’s office for a routine checkup. Even in the waiting room, the nurses were talking about the impending closure of Neir’s, I couldn’t get away from it. And while I was waiting in the doctor’s office, my phone rang.
It was Assemblyman Miller. The connection was bad and every time he started to tell me the good news, the connection would cut out. Finally, when we had a 10-second window of clear connection Mike gave me the good news, but told me to keep quiet, that it would be announced later.
We stopped by Neir’s which was solidly packed with revelers from around the city who had seen the news and came out to say farewell. For many, it was their first trip to this historic treasure.
Other people came from long distances to say farewell, including one gentleman who drove from Pennsylvania just to have a beer. And locals were wandering over all afternoon, many as they often do, to kick off the weekend at their favorite gathering spot.
We were surrounded by people who had come to see a funeral, and yet this good news was bursting to be let free.
It was the reporters who broke the news by asking those they were interviewing how they felt about it being saved. Quickly, word began to spread, tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. Hugs of comfort turned into hugs of relief and celebration.
Mayor de Blasio came out to Woodhaven and stood behind the bar and made it official. It was a remarkable night for this community.
There is a very old saying that success has a thousand parents but failure is an orphan. When it came to saving Neir’s, this old saying was very apt.
Every person who came to Neir’s, for lunch or for an evening out; each person who shared news stories about the place, who told friends or relatives about it, were all part of a 10-year campaign to get the city to stand up and recognize this historic location. And though it had been saved, it would soon face the same dangerous fight that doomed many bars and restaurants in New York City: Covid-19.
And yet it survived.
It survived thanks to every person who ordered out. It survived thanks to every person who sat outside in frigid temps to eat dinner.
Like a cat with many lives, Neir’s lives on, now just 6 years from what will be a remarkable 200th birthday party. Look forward to seeing you all there!

The scene from inside Neir’s while Mayor de Blasio came to announce the good news. We were way at the back and couldn’t see or hear anything, but word of the good news had already spread.

S:US holds MLK Food Drive in South Ozone Park

Alicia Venter on January 18, 2023

By: Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Services of the Underserved (S:US) hosted a food drive in South Ozone Park this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteering to collect over 50 bags of nonperishable goods, fruits and vegetables for families within their supported behavioral health housing units in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Approximately 15 volunteers — many workers of S:US who were using their day off to provide this service — could be seen in the basement of the South Ozone Park S:US center bagging food in whatever bag they could find.

Planning to collect food to provide 40 families with food, they soon realized that the food collected that week surpassed that number.

With only 40 bags with the S:US logo brought to the event, the volunteers got creative. Foodtown bags, Target bags and boxes were quickly found within the center to be used collecting food.

Within the hour of the food drive starting, over 50 bags — or boxes — could be seen collected by the volunteers. Over 1,000 pounds of food and other items were collected and distributed to families served at two supportive housing programs the same day.

S:US is “all about creating opportunities for folks who are having challenges,” said S:US CEO Jorge R. Petit at the collection Monday, where he was helping in the collection. “We provide an array of services that actually help people on their road to recovery and we’re part of their journey to lead lives that are full of purpose.”

Believing in service, Petit described S:US as a platform for which people can provide others with that which they take for granted: food, security and a roof over their head.

There are numerous opportunities to get involved with S:US, including volunteering and donation. Among the different ways people can get involved include working at urban farms, teaching someone how to search for a job and even lead a yoga class.

“We really look at every day [as] doing a service for people,” said Monica Santos, Chief Program Officer at SUS, who was among the volunteers on Monday. “We help New Yorkers all over the city — ones with mental illness, behavioral health needs, homeless, veterans… and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

The Ozone Park Center, located at ​​115-70 Lefferts Blvd, is a day program, with community residences in the area. People with developmental disabilities come during the day, and among the services provided by the location are two food fridges and a lending library.

“At the heart of what we do at S:US is a firm commitment to righting the disparities caused by racial discrimination, bias and health inequity and eradicating these within our practices and programs to help us move towards true social justice,” the S:US website stated.

As stated on their website, the mission of S:US is to “drive scalable solutions to transform the lives of people with disabilities, people in poverty and people facing homelessness: solutions that contribute to righting societal imbalances.”

For more information on the services provided by S:US, visit www.sus.org/.

 

“Science in a Box” kits delivered to District 29

Alicia Venter on January 18, 2023

New York City Council Member Lynn Schulman delivers materials to PS54. Photo Credit: Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

600 STEM Hydroponic Kits, also known as “Science in a Box” kits, were distributed to three elementary schools in Southeast Queens on Friday, Jan. 13.

The schools that received the kits include PS 54, The Hillside School; PS 99, The Kew Gardens School; and PS 144, The Col. Jeromus Remsen School in Forest Hills.

The hydroponic kits were provided by NY Sun Works — a non-profit organization that builds innovative science labs in urban schools — in partnership with local council member Lynn Schulman.

The kits came equipped with a 10-lesson climate and science curriculum meant to enable students, with a teacher’s guidance, to grow, study and run investigations with plants.

They are designed to expose students to hydroponic farming technology on a miniature, hands-on level.

“Our kids only get one chance at a good education. That is why I am thrilled to partner with New York Sun Works to deliver 600 hydroponic STEM kits to local schools throughout Council District 29,” said Schulman in a press release. “These kits will be paired with a 10-lesson curriculum that teaches students the importance of sustainability and urban agriculture while enhancing their observation and data collection skills. I look forward to seeing the final results from this unique and vital life lesson program.”

The schools also received the Discovering Sustainability Science curriculum, and teachers are provided the tools to tailor the curriculum to address the needs of the students.

The program will reach more than 1000 elementary-age students at the three schools, all located in the 29th Council District that Schulman represents.

“We are excited to engage young learners in plant biology by delivering hundreds of interactive and innovative STEM kits in Queens with Council Member Lynn Schulman,” said Manuela Zamora, NY Sun Works Executive Director in a press release. “We are fully committed to fostering the love for science to every New York City public school student and these kits are an incredible introduction to hydroponic farming that teach climate and the science of sustainability.”

NY Sun Works first introduced the ‘Science in a Box’ Hydroponic Kit program in September 2020. More than 5,000 kits were distributed last year, for both classroom and at-home learning.

In a 2021 study conducted by social science research organization Knology, the kits and curriculum “embody innovation, flexibility, hands-on learning, and critical thinking.

For more information on NY Sun Works, visit nysunworks.org/.

 

Two sentenced for S. Richmond Hill, Ozone Park Slayings

Alicia Venter on January 13, 2023

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Two men have been sentenced in connection with four fatal shootings that took place in South Richmond Hill and Ozone Park between 2015 and 2018, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office on Jan. 13.

Richard Davenport, 46, of 139th St. in Jamaica, and Neville Brown, 42, of 197th Street in Hollis, pleaded guilty in November to two counts of manslaughter in the first degree. They each pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a third fatal shooting, and Davenport pled guilty to manslaughter in a fourth fatal shooting.

The latest crime took place on Jan. 16, 2018, with security camera footage showing Davenport exit a Mercedes Benz on 105th St. near 135th Ave. in South Richmond Hill around 9:30 p.m. and approaching Omaree Morrison, 19, while he was walking along 135th Avenue. The video footage shows Davenport fatally shoot Morrison, the charges claim.

A few weeks prior, on Dec. 19, 2017, the charges claim that Brown was seen driving the same Mercedes Benz at approximately 3 a.m. with Davenport in the passenger side front seat. Together, they drove past a Cadillac Escalade parked on 125th St. and Atlantic Ave. in South Richmond Hill numerous times.

Security camera footage captured the Mercedes Benz parking, the defendants exiting the vehicle, approaching the Cadillac from both sides and Davenport firing several times into the vehicle.

Dail Ramessar, 21, was struck in the car, and later died in the hospital. Davenport and Brown both fled in the Mercedes Benz.On July 15, 2016, the charges claim that Davenport approached the vehicle of Raaid Ali, 22, as he was sitting in the drivers seat in front of his residence at 107-60 114th Street in South Richmond Hill. He was shot by Davenport multiple times in the torso, fatally wounding him, at approximately 12:10 p.m., the charges claim, and Davenport fled in a vehicle driven by Brown.

The charges claim that the first murder took place on Oct. 4, 2015. The victim, Vickiram Ramlogan, 27, was shot multiple times while parked in front of his home at 111-21 120th Street, Ozone Park at around 8:15 p.m. by Davenport.

Davenport was sentenced a combined total of 29 years in prison — two consecutive 14.5 year sentences — and Brown was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

“Two very dangerous men are going to prison for a long time and the streets of Queens will be safer as a result,” said District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement. “My number one priority will continue to be getting illegal guns, and those who use them, off our streets.”

 

Ozone Park RBA selects new chairperson

Alicia Venter on January 11, 2023

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

The Ozone Park Resident Block Association (RBA) selected a new chairperson to grow their mission in supporting residents of southeast Queens in whatever quality of life issues they may face.

Brina Ciaramella, 42, is a third generation South Queens resident, currently living in Howard Beach. She has practiced residential real estate law for approximately 10 years, predominately in southeast Queens.

As the new chairperson, her responsibilities will include attending events and speaking on behalf of the organization and its mission.

“The responsibilities of the chairperson are like being an overall glue that’s there for everything… I would like to hear community members’ concerns,” Ciaramella said.

While the block association is already doing a terrific job, she says, she would love to see growth in effectively and immediately meeting community members’ when they come forward with concerns. 

“Reaching out to electeds and agencies — problem solving in a way that’s personalized,” she said. Providing a bridge between community members and the government, she said, is how the block association can best serve the Ozone Park residents.

“[It’s] a nice, local group that is a sounding board and a platform for community members to come and grieve their issues or just have a good time,” Ciaramella explained.

A major issue she will drive the RBA to continue tackling will be illegal commercial parking.

“We have a lot of people living in these houses because the cost of living has become so expensive. Whether people are sharing rent or sharing a mortgage, we are no longer living in a society where it’s easy for two people to take on these types of payments,” she explained. “There are more cars and people living in the home and that congests the streets. When you add on top of that illegal parking, it causes a quality of life issue… that’s on the forefront of what the block association is working on.”

Ciaramella describes southeast Queens as giving a small town feeling in the biggest city in the world. Its diversity provides the opportunity to celebrate a variety of cultures and ideologies that allow a comradery unlike any other. She takes the place of previous Ozone Park RBA Chairperson Jeanne Shannon.

First getting involved in community service around seven years ago with her children’s PTA, Ciaramella is involved in the Our Neighbors Civic Association of Ozone Park, the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic and the Ozone Park Howard Beach Woodhaven Lions Club. The latter of these she has become increasingly involved in, as the organization works to provide services to primarily the senior population of South Queens.

“Our primary focus is the senior population but we really do it all,” Ciaramella said. “Wherever there’s a need to host a fundraiser, event, giveaway, food pantry or things of that nature, [we get involved].

She serves because, simply, it’s just in her.

“I just feel like I have something to give. I don’t have a ton of time. I don’t have a ton of money,” she said. “There have been times where I have shied away a little bit more, but I’m always pulled back into it naturally. It’s just within me to want to serve.”

The Ozone Park RBA manages a Facebook page with over 25,000 members, providing newsworthy information directly to residents. 

Ciaramella recieving the Our Neighbors Civic Association of Ozone Park 2022 Woman of the Year award.

Queens Botanical Garden receives historic $8 million donation

Alicia Venter on January 10, 2023

 

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

The Queens Botanical Garden is receiving a historic $8 million donation to fund their programming and outreach efforts in the coming years.

Jamaica-based non-profit Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation donated the $8 million, an amount that Queens Botanical Garden Executive Director Evie Hantzopoulos believes to be one of the largest donations given to any cultural organization in Queens.

With this donation, the Queens Botanical Garden plans to strategize the programming and educational services that will be provided to a variety of different Queens residents.

“One of the things that I’ve observed and I believe in is how much potential this garden has,” Hantzopoulos said. “It’s already considered such an important resource and space for the community here in Flushing and in Queens. Through this very generous gift that we are going to receive, it’s going to open up a bunch of opportunities for us to serve.”

The Queens Botanical Garden is set to receive an upgrade in the next few years, as the city is funding a new educational building to replace its current outdated center. This donation will allow there to be no time wasted once these doors are opened, as the donation will primarily serve to fund this location’s programming.

Though they are currently “at the mercy of the city” for its completion, Hantzopoulos shared that the new education center, which will be named after the Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation, is set to be completed two years after its groundbreaking. The date of the groundbreaking is currently unconfirmed, but construction is anticipated to begin in early 2024.

“We will be able to expand our capacity to serve New York City school children through tours, through workshops and through educational programs. We will be able to do some adult education as well,” Hantzopoulos said. “I think what’s really wonderful is that not only do we have this new building but we will also be able to staff and operate it. From day one that the building opens, we will be able to serve all the guests who come.”

The garden does currently have an education building, though outdated, and they will be developing and piloting new programming with the funding while the construction of the new building is underway.

Hantzopoulos told the Leader-Observer that the funding will directly benefit underrepresented areas in Queens — specifically Jamaica and the Rockaways as requested by the donors.

“The Bluestone family… wanted to give something back to those communities as well. Through this gift, we will be doing some extra special outreach to those communities.”

The Queens Botanical Garden will work with the community within public schools, Hantzopoulos shared, in order to promote sustainability and present the opportunities they provide. They are looking at the engagement of communities who haven’t been coming to the garden as much as others, Hantzopoulos said.

The goal, with this funding, is simple to Hantzopoulos.

“Our hope is that we are going to reach more people,” she said.

The garden, she explained, is on the cutting edge of environmentally sustainable practices. They are completely organic, with strategies to not waste water and composting on site, continually working to manage their resources and reduce their carbon footprint. They were the first publicly funded LEED platinum certified building in New York City in 2007, and had the first publicly accessible green roof in the city, Hantzopoulos explained.

“This is the way our city needs to go in order to become more energy efficient, manage our resources better and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” Hantzopoulos said. “In addition to bringing more people to the garden… we also want to continue leading the way in terms of environmental sustainability as we face the existential crisis of climate change.”

The Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation was formed in 2022 to foster the education of disadvantaged children and young adults in New York City. Joan was a longtime volunteer and donor at the Queens Botanical Garden, serving on its Board of Directors for many years, and she died in 2020.

Norman was a founding member of The Bluestone Organization, a Queens-based real estate company — he died in 2011.

The Queens Botanical Garden is located on 39 acres of city land at the northeast corner of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

AAFE Hosts Three Kings Day Celebration

glendaleregstg on January 6, 2023

 

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) took advantage of Three Kings Day — a holiday predominately celebrated by children — to provide Jackson Heights children a day of entertainment and inform their parents of services in their community.

The nonprofit held their Three Kings Day celebration on Jan. 5 at Blessed Sacrament Church. From 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., children were welcome to get their faces painted, to participate in different crafts, free churros and different gifts.

Three Kings Day is a Christian holiday celebrated on Jan. 6 that celebrates the day in which the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. It is also known as the Feast of Epiphany, and in many European and Latin American countries, parents will buy their children gifts on this day.

At any point, the area was packed with locals partaking in holiday festivities. Approximately 75 people could be seen enjoying the free activities or learning about the different Queens services.

Among the organizations distributing information and various gifts included Elmhurst Hospital, Communities Resist, Commonpoint Queens and the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

Council member Shekar Khrishnan, State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly member Catalina Cruz could be seen towards the beginning of the festivities distributing at home Covid-19 tests and greeting their constituents. Speaking primarily in Spanish, each wished the attendees to have a happy holiday and to take advantage of the services provided that day.

Understanding the NY legislation set to go into effect in 2023

Alicia Venter on January 4, 2023

January 1, 2023 – Albany, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul takes the oath of office and delivers an inaugural address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

 

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

As the year came to a close, Governor Kathy Hochul had a busy two weeks. She became the first woman to be sworn into a full term as governor of New York on Jan. 1, and in the month prior, she signed numerous pending state legislation into law.

Notably, she signed a bill that prohibits discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status and immigration status is illegal in New York.

This law will expand the protections from the NYS Division of Human Rights, which currently investigates cases in which individuals have been potentially discriminated against due to their immigration status.

State Senator John Liu and State Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz came together with activists on Dec. 29 in front of Flushing Library to applaud the signing of this bill (S6586A/A6328A).

​​“We appreciate Governor Hochul for signing this legislation in recognition that our state is made greater by the vast contributions of talented and aspiring people from everywhere in the world who adopt New York as their new home,” Liu said in a statement. “Unfortunately, even as they pursue the American Dream, they are stymied by obsolete federal laws and byzantine bureaucracies that prolong their path to citizenship and subject them to bias and discrimination. This bill will help provide equal opportunity in employment, housing, and other needs that all New Yorkers should have access to.”

The first state program in the nation allowing individuals to be reimbursed for the costs of kidney and liver donations came from the governor’s office this week.

The legislation (S.1594/A.146A) amends the public health, tax and social services laws to enact the “New York State Living Donor Support Act,” which will establish a program to cover the extra costs that come with organ donation for New York residents who donate to a fellow New Yorker. The law comes in an effort to eliminate financial barriers to organ donation and, as a result, reduce wait times for organ transplants and address the organ shortage in New York.

As of publication, there are over 8,000 people on transplant wait lists, most of whom are awaiting a kidney, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

A legislative package (S.3897/A.8936-A) supporting pedestrians, bikers and transit riders included increased funding for “Complete Street” projects.

A Complete Street is a roadway designed for all roadway users — not just drivers.

This includes pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit riders as well as motorists. It also makes an effort to focus on children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

With this legislation, the state’s contribution to the non-federally funded portion of the project increases to 87.5 percent.

New legislation (S.3959-B/A.7822-C) will require the non-voting transit dependent representative be moved into a voting position on transportation authorities’ boards. In short, this new legislation will provide a vote — and a voice — to riders who permanently rely on transit services including bikeshares, buses and paratransit.

To protect existing labor laws on behalf of workers, Hochul signed legislation (S.5994C/A.1338C) that establishes a registration system for contractors and subcontractors engaged in public work and covered private projects. This law will require contractors and subcontractors to provide a series of disclosures about their businesses every two years with the Department of Labor.

The department will determine whether a contractor or subcontractor is fit to registers based on previous labor law and workers compensation law violations, including prevailing wage requirements. This law will create a publicly available database.

Furthermore, notable previously signed laws that are set to go into effect in 2023 include the establishment of a task force and annual report to examine social media and violent extremism.

The Electric Vehicle Rights Act, which prevents a homeowners association from adopting or enforcing any rules or regulations that would effectively prohibit, or impose unreasonable limitations on the installation or use of an electric vehicle charging station, is set to go into effect on Jan. 21.

In this year, student-athletes will be able to receive endorsement compensation, and New York schools will be prohibited from taking away the scholarships or eligibility of any athlete making money from such endorsements.

100 Years Ago: One Last Fateful Job for Truck 142

Ed Wendell on January 4, 2023

The Union Course station at the intersection of Rockaway Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, the scene of a tragic accident 100 years ago that took the lives of 3 firefighters.

By Ed Wendell

It was a quarter to six on the evening of February 6th, 1923 and the residents of Woodhaven and Ozone Park were hunkered down, waiting out a heavy snowstorm. The streets were mostly empty.

The firemen of Truck 142 in Ozone Park were waiting for the night shift to arrive when they were alerted to a nearby fire. Five firemen hopped on the truck and drove into the storm, their route hampered by poor visibility and snow and ice on the roads.

Meanwhile, at the Union Course Station of the Long Island Railroad, Grade Crossing Watchman Joseph Rubin was at his post. In the tower was Robert Brinkley and both men were having trouble seeing either way through the wind and the snow on Atlantic Avenue.

The Union Course Station at the intersection of Rockaway and Atlantic was nearly 90 years old at the time; it was built to service the famed Union Course racetrack but that had closed over 50 years earlier. Residents crossing from one neighborhood to another had no choice but to step over the tracks to do so.

Firefighter Michael Hanley (31) was driving the truck with John Dunne (31), James Griffin (39), William Bine (33) and Adolph Lasch (34) in tow. When they arrived at the crossing, the gates were down, and a local train had just pulled into the station.

Hanley signaled to Rubin and Brinkley to hold the local train and raise the gates so they could cross. Rubin peered up and down Atlantic Avenue and, seeing no danger, signaled Brinkley to raise the gates. It was a tragic decision.

The truck had just started to cross the tracks when to their horror, a Brooklyn-bound express train came speeding out of the driving snowstorm.

By the time Hanley saw the train, the truck was halfway across the tracks and he had no choice but to try and finish the crossing. They had no choice, but they also had no chance.

The train hit the firetruck with such force that it was carried nearly three blocks before the motorman could bring it to a stop. The firetruck, which weighed nearly six tons, was wrecked beyond repair and recognition.

A driver who was in a car behind the firetruck painted a horrific picture. “Those unfortunate firemen never had a ghost of a chance,” he told the Leader-Observer. “The whole thing happened so suddenly they never knew what struck them.”

Killed in the collision were Hanley, Dunne and Griffin, leaving behind 3 widows and 11 children combined.

Within minutes help arrived, and firefighter Lasch was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital with a fractured skull (he eventually recovered). Firefighter Bine was the only one who had time to jump, and he was treated for shock and lacerations.

The condemnation of the Long Island Railroad was swift and furious. The grade crossings along Atlantic Avenue, which had people dodging trains and automobiles on a road that was busy round the clock, had led to many tragedies over the years.

“There is no more dangerous crossing than the Union Course station,” a front-page editorial in the Leader-Observer thundered. “Night and day Rockaway Boulevard is crowded with vehicular traffic while Shaw Avenue (now 80th Street) is used by thousands of commuters and hundreds of school children every day.”

Over time, safety improvements would be made along the route, but it always remained a dangerous crossing. That danger would eventually be eliminated when the entire line was submerged below Atlantic Avenue nearly 2 decades later.

In the meantime, three families were left without a father and two communities mourned the death of three heroes who almost reached the end of their shift before being called on one last fateful job. May the souls of firefighters Hanley, Dunne and Griffin Rest in Peace and may their sacrifices never be forgotten.

This tragic tale will be one of the many related in “The Mayor of Woodhaven: Tales of 1923,” a look back to life in Woodhaven 100 years ago. 1923 was an interesting year in the history of Woodhaven as it began to transform into the community that we are familiar with today.

This presentation will premiere via Zoom on Tuesday, January 10th at 8 p.m. And it will be repeated on the 100th anniversary of this tragic accident (at 7 p.m. on Monday February 6th) at historic Neir’s Tavern, which is located just a few blocks from the site of that tragic night a century ago. Both presentations are free, email us at projectwoodhaven@gmail.com for more information.

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