Newtown Historical Society Presents Flushing Avenue Photo Exhibit

The Newtown Historical Society is proud to present our first exhibit, “A Walk Down Flushing Avenue, 1929” at Maspeth Federal Savings, located at 58-15 69th Street in Maspeth, starting Monday, December 21st. This photo series is presented to create awareness and foster appreciation of the history of western Queens communities. The exhibit will be displayed in the windows of the recently renovated and upgraded bank building through the end of February and will be viewable from the street.

The photos represent a snapshot of life in Maspeth and Ridgewood on Nov. 1, 1929, just days after the “Black Tuesday” stock market crash that many associate with the beginning of the Great Depression. Several of the buildings featured in the series are still standing, with different uses today. The photos also offer a fascinating glimpse into how people from our communities went about their daily activities 80 years ago.

“Maspeth Federal Savings is pleased to host this photo series highlighting the history of Flushing Avenue and we look forward to working with the Newtown Historical Society to bring more educational exhibits to the public in the future,” said David Daraio, Assistant Vice President of Maspeth Federal Savings.

The Newtown Historical Society will be presenting more photo exhibits, as well as slideshows, lectures and walking tours throughout the upcoming year. Winter 2010 slideshows will include topics such as the development of western Queens neighborhoods, the story of the Newtown Pippin apple and the history of the Ridgewood Reservoir.

For more information about the Flushing Avenue photo exhibit or to join the Newtown Historical Society, visit newtownhistorical.org or call 718-366-3715.

Amalgamated Bank Opens Myrtle Avenue Branch

By Conor Greene

Residents have a new option in local banking with the opening of Amalgamated Bank on Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood. The occasion was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday attended by a host of local residents and officials.

The bank touts itself as “America’s Labor Bank” and offers services that “work hard for working people.” The new branch at 56-29 Myrtle Avenue marks the borough’s third location, along with Flushing and Long Island City. The company plans to open two more branches in the coming year, including one planned for Maspeth in early 2010.



Derrick Cephas, president and executive officer of Amalgamated Bank, said the company was looking to expand into the “nice, stable, middle-income” neighborhoods of Queens. In particular, they were searching for a location that offers plenty of street traffic, small businesses and population density. “This fits the bill – great visibility and a nice location,” said Cephas. “You can’t beat it.”

He said Amalgamated offers all the various banking service the community needs at competitive terms. “We don’t try to get the last nickel out of the customer,” he said. Speaking before the subsequent ribbon-cutting, he elaborated on why Ridgewood is a good fit for the company. The bank was founded 85 years ago because many immigrants, especially Jewish and Italian, needed a bank that would do business with them. “That’s our founding, that’s our roots,” he said.

The bank provides many services to the community, including free workshops about topics like obtaining a mortgage and building credit, according to Keith Pilkington, executive vice president for marking and retail banking. “Especially in these times, that is really needed,” he said.

State Senator Joseph Addabbo (D-Ozone Park) called the opening of a new bank an indication the economy is turning the corner. “That’s a good sign,” he said, adding that it’s “an absolute challenge for someone like Amalgamated Bank to cut a ribbon today.”

Ted Renz, executive director of the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District, called Amalgamated “a bank with a rich social history” that will benefit the area. “It shows they really believe in the Ridgewood community and our commercial strip,” he said.

Top: Bank President Derrick Cephas cuts the ribbon on Amalgamated’s newest branch as staff members, elected officials and neighbors look on. Bottom: Ridgewood resident Andrew Bennett, one of three lucky raffle winners, is congratulated by Lona Gill of Amalgamated.

Queens DOB Official Charged with Corruption

An investigation into corruption within the city Buildings Department has extended to Queens with the arrest of the borough’s former Chief Plan Examiner, who resigned last month.

The city Department of Investigation announced the arrest of James Cheng on charges of accepting cash payments from a Flushing architect in exchange for reviewing buildings plans before they were submitted to the Buildings Department.

Cheng, 55, of Woodmere, was a former Chief Plan Examiner with the DOB until he resigned in November. On Monday, the DOI announced that Cheng has been charged with receiving reward for official misconduct, a felony, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor for allegedly accepting cash payments from Sung Ho Shin, a state registered architect.

Shin, 49, of Syosset, has been charged with giving unlawful gratuities, a misdemeanor. Upon conviction, the felony charge is punishable by up to four years in prison and the misdemeanor charges by up to a year’s incarceration.

“As charged, these defendants betrayed their professional responsibilities and brazenly disregarded the rules,” said Rose Gill Hearn, commissioner of the DOI. “everyone should know that offering and accepting money in exchange for a city employee giving preferential service is a crime that will end in arrest and prosecution.”

Cheng, who is also a state certified architect, began working at DOB in June 1997 as a Plan Examiner. He resigned in February 2001 to take a similar job with the city School Construction Authority until March 2003, when he returned to DOB as Chief Plan Examiner in the department’s Kew Gardens borough office.

In that post, Cheng was paid an annual salary of $99,149 until he resigned in November. His duties included meeting with the public, including architects and engineers, reviewing project records and building plans for compliance with city building code and assigning them to be reviewed by plan examiners.

According to the criminal complaints, Cheng reviewed zoning analysis for building plans that had not yet been submitted to DOB in exchange for cash payments from Shin over a two-week period in 2008. The investigation revealed that Cheng knew and told Shin that he was not allowed to engage in that type of activity.

The DOB released the following statement from Commissioner Robert LiMandri: "These allegations, if true, are clearly unacceptable and are not condoned in any way. Mr. Cheng resigned from the Department last month, and we are currently reviewing his jobs as a precaution.

"The Department has taken significant steps to increase integrity and transparency, including an online property database detailing inspection results, mandated integrity training for all employees and the use of GPS technology to track on-duty inspectors. Since 2002, tips from our staff have led to more than 70 arrests by the City’s Department of Investigation, exemplifying the honest work of so many employees who are dedicated to serving this City."

Six Teens Charged in Flushing Robbery and Murder

By Conor Greene

Six teenagers have now been charged in connection with the robbery and murder of an Asian man who had fallen asleep in his SUV while parked on a Flushing street earlier this month.

Police say 49-year-old Woodhaven resident David Kao was killed by Chris Levy, 17, of Harlem, and Cory Azor, 16, of East Elmhurst after the suspects found him asleep inside his 2000 Lexus double parked in front of 42-10 Colden Street on June 8.

Levy and Azor were arraigned last Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court on charges of second-degree murder, first-and-second-degree robbery and fourth-degree possession of stolen property. They were ordered held without bail and face up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

In addition, police have charged four other teenagers in connection with the incident, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office. Keron Wilthshire, 17, of Corona, Jay-Quel Merkerson, 16, of Flushing and a 15-year-old have been charged with criminal possession of stolen property (the SUV). Bryce Newton, 16, of Flushing was charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle for riding in a vehicle he knew was stolen.

According to the charges, Levy and Azor entered the SUV after spotting Kao sleeping inside. They placed Kao in a chokehold, pulling him over the driver’s seat into the back of the vehicle, where they fatally choked and punched him. They then drove the SUV to a nearby location where they dumped the body. “I continued to hold him in the headlock and punch him in the face and then he stopped moving,” Levy allegedly told detectives.

The break in the case came last Monday, when police received a report of an argument near an SUV parked in an alley behind 145-10 20th Avenue in Whitestone, about two miles from the murder scene. Levy, Wilthshire and Newton were inside the Lexus when police responded, and, after questioning, the three other defendants were arrested, according to a spokesman for District Attorney Richard Brown.

In a separate criminal complaint, Levy, Azor and Wilthshire are charged with robbing 42-year-old Jin Tong Yuan as he entered the elevator at 140-50 Ash Avenue in Flushing on May 27. According to statements allegedly made to police, Azor and his co-defendants spotted Yuan and agreed to rob him. Wilthshire grabbed Yuan from behind and placed him in a chokehold while Levy held a silver pistol to the victim’s head while demanding money, according to police. The three defendants then allegedly took the victim’s cell phone and cash from his wallet before fleeing.

“While all three defendants are accused of preying on Asian men to rob, two of the defendants are charged with a senseless and brutal crime that, by their own alleged actions, shows a complete disregard for human life,” said Brown.

Even thought the district attorney accused the men of specifically targeting Asian men, they have not been charged under the hate crimes statute. “I think Levy and Azor have been charged with the ultimate hate crime – murder,” said spokesman Kevin Ryan, adding that charging them with a hate crime would not add anymore time to what they are currently facing. “However those are crimes that can be considered when the case is presented to a grand jury,” he added.

Kao was a marketing employee at the World Journal, which bills itself as the largest Chinese language newspaper in North America. According to reports, he dined with a colleague on Kissena Boulevard on Friday evening before parking, for unknown reasons, in front of the Colden Avenue building where his ex-wife lives. His 21-year-old daughter is a college student in Taiwan.

Azor’s stepfather is Officer Frantz Jean-Bart of the NYPD’s automotive unit.

Rally to Preserve Library Funding

By Conor Greene

Scores of children, parents and local officials gathered on the steps of Queens Library in Flushing on Monday to draw attention to budget cuts the system is facing.

As a result of the city’s budget woes, Queens Libraries, along with libraries throughout the five boroughs, face devastating budget reductions. If all proposed cuts are enacted, six-day and even five-day service at many branches will be eliminated. To draw attention to this situation, library leaders have been holding rallies around the borough.

On Monday, hundreds including Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Borough President Helen Marshall and members of the Queens Civic Congress gathered for a “Stand Up for Libraries Rally” at the Flushing branch on Main Street. “One of our nation’s most precious resources is access to books and educational material,” said Crowley (D-Middle Village). “It is simply outrageous to cut library hours… The library is a cornerstone of a quality education for any student.”

With the city and state facing huge budget deficits, Queens Library is facing a $13.9 million reduction in its funding. As a result, the majority of branches in Queens will likely be closed on weekends starting July 1. In addition, Queens Library’s staff will have to be reduced by 279 positions, or 24%.

“Our library system here in Queens is the busiest in the world and provides a multitude of services to America’s most diverse population. Today’s rally is aimed at focusing attention on the consequences of a proposed budget reduction of $17 million. Among other things, the library’s workforce would be reduced, every community library would be closed on weekends and building maintenance would be curtailed,” said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

Queens Library has the largest circulation of any library system in the country, serving about 2.2 million residents annually at 62 branches. In 2007, more than 450,000 people attended the free programs offered by the library on a variety of topics.

“This will essentially shut people out from library services,” said James Van Bramer, chief external affairs officer for Queens Library. “For the sake of our kids and our job seekers, the mayor needs to look at all citywide agencies and must first cut wasteful spending rather than cutting out hours for learning… That is not something that should be happening in a difficult economic time.”

Crowley noted that a significant number of residents in neighborhoods such as Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and Richmond Hill rely on library services. “Cutting library hours will have an economic impact on our community: professionals rely on Internet provided at libraries to do their work, and adults use the library’s resources to look for job opportunities.”

In April, Crowley rallied with second grade students and teachers from PS 87 to protest proposed cuts to weekend and extended hours. Later that month she wrote to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg urging them to find a way to keep the Queens libraries open. She is also fighting to secure millions of dollars in capital funding to upgrade library facilities. “For the sake of our kids and our job seekers, the Mayor needs to look at all citywide agencies and must first cut wasteful spending rather than cutting out hours for learning,” she said.

More than 60,000 residents have signed a petition supporting library funding, and another rally is planned for outside City Hall on May 28. The system has already endured about $5 million in budget cuts, forcing officials to eliminate the mobile book service and close the art gallery in the main branch in Jamaica.

State Provides Funding to Area Hospitals; Refuses to Bail Out St. John's and Mary Immaculate

By Conor Greene

After refusing to bailout bankrupt St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals, the state Department of Health announced on Wednesday that it is providing money to other area facilities to help deal with a spike in patients.

St. John’s in Elmhurst and Mary Immaculate in Jamaica stopped admitting patients on Saturday, including to their emergency rooms, as they prepare to close completely in the coming weeks. The move comes a week after parent company Caritas Health Care filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and submitted a closure plan to the state.

Last Friday, residents, community leaders and hospital staff gathered outside St. John’s in a last-ditch effort to convince Governor David Paterson to step in and save the hospitals.

However, their demands fell on deaf ears, and the hospitals began restricting admissions at midnight – leading to concerns that other area facilities will become overburdened by the increased demand for their services.

On Wednesday, state Health Commissioner Richard Daines announced $18 million in grants being provided to local hospitals “to ensure that residents of Queens continue to have access to essential health care services.” The money will also provide job placement services to the nearly 3,000 health care workers who lost their jobs when St. John’s and Mary Immaculate closed.

“These grants will help other health care facilities in the area expand their capacity to absorb the patients previously handled by these two Caritas hospitals and assist workers in finding new employment,” said Daines in a statement.

The grants include $14.5 million to expand capacity at eight facilities serving the Queens community and the extension of a state Department of Health contract with 1199 SIEU for the Displaced Workers Program. That will make up to $3 million available for job counseling, placement and retraining for displaced workers.

According to the press release, the state DOH has given “contingent approval for the closure plan” submitted by Caritas. “Despite over $55 million in state loans to Caritas, the hospital system was unable to develop a viable plan for continued operation,” the release notes.

In addition to the $3 million contract extension to 1199 SIEU for job counseling, placement and retraining, the following grants have been awarded:

•Health and Hospitals Corporation of New York City will receive
$3.6 million to expand patient capacity and emergency room services at its Elmhurst and Queens Hospital Centers;

•Medisys will receive $4.5 million for its Jamaica and Flushing sites;

•North Shore LIJ will receive $3.5 million for its Forest Hills and Franklin facilities;

•Wyckoff Medical Center near Ridgewood will receive $2.7 million;

•The Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center will receive $650,000 to maintain primary and preventative services at the St. Dominic’s Health Care Center.

The decision to provide the grant money comes as City Comptroller William Thompson, Councilman Tony Avella, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and other elected officials have called upon the state to provide Caritas with the funding needed to keep the two hospitals open.

“The closing of Mary Immaculate and St. John’s Hospitals would not only have a detrimental affect on the 2,500 hospital employees by Caritas Health Care, but also on the entire Borough of Queens, which relies heavily on their medical services,” said Avella. “The best solution at this point would be for HHC [Health and Hospitals Corp] to take over the administration of these two hospitals. It would improve management operations and, I believe, make it easier for the State and City to allocate funding to keep the hospitals open.”

Combined, the hospitals have about 450 beds and serve nearly 200,000 patients each year. Mary Immaculate is a level-one trauma center and houses a cancer institute and 115-bed nursing home. St. John’s is a certified stroke and heart failure center and has the borough’s only hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit.

“People will die if the Health Department closes these hospitals,” said Therese Wittner, a registered nurse and representative for the state Nurses Association at Mary Immaculate. “It is also unthinkable that 115 elderly people will be put out of the Fitzpatrick nursing home where they have lived for up to 15 years and developed close family times… The surrounding hospitals are overflowing and will not be able to handle the volume of patients. We are already seeing the consequences.”

According to the DOH, the closure date for St. John’s and Mary Immaculate is February 28.

Diplomat Accused of Beating Wife "Like a Dog"

A diplomat from Afghanistan has been charged with felony assault after police said he subjected his wife to an all-day beating inside their home last week.

Mohammed Fagirad, 30, of Flushing was charged last Friday with second-degree assault and fourth-degree grand larceny after allegedly beating his 22-year-old wife over a 15-hour period on February 11. Fagirad, who is assigned as a vice consul at the Afghanistan Consulate, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on the charges.

Authorities say that Fagirad terrorized his wife inside their apartment at 144-34 26th Avenue beginning when he grabbed his wife by the neck and held her against a wall with one hand at about 8 a.m. last Wednesday morning. When he let her go, she fell to the floor where he held her arm and repeatedly slapped her about the face and head, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Fagirad then told his wife that she was a “dog” and that he was “going to treat her like a dog,” according to prosecutors. He allegedly struck her about the back with a belt at least three times as she lay on the floor. He then pushed her down a flight of stairs consisting of about thirteen steps before leaving the apartment. Once Fagirad left the residence, his wife went to the 109th Precinct stationhouse to file a report before returning home.

After Fagirad returned a short time later, he took his wife’s cell phone from her jacket pocket and used it to call police to file a counterclaim. He then picked up his wife, slammed her into the floor and sat on her chest for about three to four minutes while grabbing her around the neck.

According to a spokesman for the district attorney, Fagirad was charged with grand larceny as a result of physically taking possession of his wife’s cell phone from her. When police arrived at the apartment after he called to file a counterclaim, they realized that his wife had filed a complaint at the stationhouse earlier that day.

As result of the attacks, Fagirad’s wife suffered bruising to her neck and right eye and scratches and bruising to her left hand, according to authorities. She was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for injuries to her back, ribs and neck.

“The defendant is accused of repeatedly and savagely beating his wife over a prolonged period – at one point, even leaving their residence only to return and inflict more harm on her,” said Brown in a statement. “Such conduct has no place in a civilized society.”

The district attorney’s office said that Fagirad only receives immunity for acts that are part of his official duties – for example, he cannot be forced to testify on court about the actions of the people he works with.

Nusing Home Employee Convicted of Sex Attack

A Corona man has been convicted of sexually molesting a 64-year-old Alzheimer’s patient at a Flushing nursing home where he worked, authorities announced. He now faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.

Juan Tavares-Nunez, 55, of 33-41 104th Street was convicted last Wednesday of first-degree criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person after a one-week jury trial. Following the verdict, Supreme Court Justice Robert C. Kohm revoked the defendant’s $250,000 bail and ordered him remanded into custody until he is sentenced on March 5. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and submit his DNA to the nationwide database.

According to evidence established at trial, Tavares-Nunez, while working as a porter at Cliffside Nursing Home on Graham Court in Flushing, entered the room of a bedridden Alzheimer patient - who is completely dependent on others for daily activities - and sexually molested her on the afternoon of July 27, 2007. The crime came to light when the defendant’s supervisor observed the incident and reported it. Tavares-Nunez, who worked at Cliffside for about nine years, was immediately fired.

“The defendant stands convicted of committing a particularly heinous crime against one of our most vulnerable citizens,” said Brown. “A nursing facility should always be viewed as a patient’s home away from home. To force anyone to endure such a traumatic incident – especially one at such a fragile stage in their life – is beyond moral comprehension.”

The investigation was conducted by the NYPD’s Queens Special Victims Squad and was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Dianna L. Megias, of the DA’s Special Victims Bureau.