Man Arrested in Ridgewood for Murder of Pace Student

By Conor Greene

The search for the killer of a Pace University student ended on Onderdonk Avenue Tuesday with the arrest of a drifter who admitted to the brutal slaying, according to police.

Jeromie Cancel, 22, allegedly told police he shoved a plastic bag down 19-year-old Kevin Pravia’s mouth and then strangled the honors student with a television cord. After the murder, he remained in the victim’s Chelsea apartment for several hours, watching the horror movie “Saw” before stealing a laptop computer, cell phone and iPod.

The search for Pravia’s killer ended just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, when Cancel showed up at his father’s apartment. The two had been estranged until June, when Cancel briefly moved with his father, Jesus Soto. However, just weeks later Cancel stole various electronics from his father and left the apartment.

He returned on Tuesday to brag to his father about killing Pravia, who he had met early Saturday morning in Union Square park. “All the time he was gloating, like it didn’t mean nothing to him,” Soto told the Daily News. “He was not remorseful, like he was happy with what he did. He had this big smile on him.”

As he was being led of out of the 10th Precinct stationhouse on Tuesday night, Cancel was asked why he murdered Pravia. “Because I wanted to,” he yelled to reporters. “You got a problem with that?”

Pravia, a sophomore at Pace, was last seen at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, getting into a cab after leaving a party near the South Street Seaport. Cancel told police that he ran into Pravia about thirty minutes later, when he offered to sell the drunken student drugs. The pair then went to Pravia’s apartment on W. 15th Street, according to police.

Shortly after the men reached the apartment, Cancel decided to rob Pravia after the student fell asleep. He punched the native of Massachusetts in the face and stuffed the plastic bag in his mouth before strangling him. He remained in the apartment until about 11 a.m., watching “Saw” as Pravia lay dead nearby in just his boxer shorts.

Pravia’s body was discovered on Sunday by his roommate Josephine Madonna, who was an old friend from Massachusetts. The pair had reportedly just moved in the apartment two weeks before.

Some of his unpacked belongings were still in the hallway when police entered the building to investigate the homicide. An unidentified neighbor in the building said she ran upstairs when she heard screams coming from the fifth floor and found the victim’s roommate screaming hysterically, “He’s dead. He’s dead.” The woman said she saw Pravia “lying on his bed, not moving.”

According to a police source, Cancel began bragging about the murder after police arrested him on larceny charges. “When we locked him up, he starting saying he was going to be famous,” the source said. “He was very cocky about it all. He basically told the officers he had killed someone,” providing specific details only the killer would know, according to sources.

Pravia moved to the city from Peru, Massachusetts, which is about 10 miles from the New York border near Albany. A Facebook page dedicated to him was quickly put together by family and friends, and the principal of Pravia’s former high school remembered him as a “quiet, polite and respectful young man,” according to The Berkshire Eagle.

Woman Sentenced to Six Months for Fatal Accident

Killed Elderly Man While Driving Drunk on Metro Ave

By Conor Greene

A Glendale woman was sentenced to six months in prison for her role in a drunken hit-and-run accident on Metropolitan Avenue last year that claimed the life of an 81-year-old man.

In an emotional hearing in Queens Criminal Court last week that included statements by the victim’s son and daughter, Diana Toro was sentenced for the accident in Middle Village last October 8 that took the life of Franz Fuerch as his wife looked on in horror.

Toro, 30, pled guilty in June to second-degree vehicular manslaughter in exchange for a sentence that included a six-month jail term and five years probation. She initially had also been charged with criminally negligent homicide, drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

During last Thursday’s sentencing in Queens Criminal Court, the victim’s daughter said she is “disappointed” to be a resident of a state that offers such “leniency” to an individual responsible for the death of another person. “As a daughter, I’m broken, and as a mother, I’m frightened,” she said. “Your actions, Diana Toro, had consequences to my family... You robbed my father of his life. He will not see another birthday because of your carelessness.”

The accident occurred just before 11 a.m. near 74th Street as Toro was driving her Plymouth Voyager minivan from work to pick up her daughter at daycare. She lost control of the vehicle and swerved into a parked car before hitting Fuerch, who was getting into his parked VW Passat.

After hitting Fuerch, Toro drove away from the scene but was detained several blocks away until police arrived. Fuerch was pronounced dead a shot time later at Elmhurst Hospital Center, and Toro was arrested after failing sobriety tests.

Before Toro received her sentence, Richard Fuerch, one of the victim’s sons, addressed the court. Unlike his sister, he didn’t express disappointment with the sentence that was about to be handed down.

“Diana Toro caused [my father’s death] by recklessly driving a car while intoxicated at 10:30 in the morning,” he said. “My mother witnessed his broken and bleeding body lying on the street.”

Fuerch recalled his father as a “dear husband” and “beloved father” who took joy from “the simple things” such as having lunch with his wife at local Polish restaurants or taking her to the bakery, which is what they were doing when he was killed. “Just taking Mom to the bakery for a loaf of bread was a cherished act,” he said. “He always greeted us with a huge smile of joy.”

The victim’s wife was not in court for the sentencing and has suffered greatly due to the loss of her partner, according to the family. “Her grief became so great that she had to be hospitalized,” said Richard Fuerch. “She can no longer tend to her needs.”

He said that Toro must “live with this fact that her actions led to my father’s death” and “must spend time in prison to reflect on her actions. “I miss my father deeply,” he said. “I think about him every day.”

Speaking through a translator, Toro said she knows she “did something cruel” and asked the family for forgiveness. “I’m prepared for what comes next and promise to be a better citizen,” she said.

Following the sentencing, Toro’s attorney, Robert DiDio said his client had finished working a midnight to 8 a.m. shift and had “a couple of drinks” with co-workers before heading home. He described her as a single mother who “has a spotless record” and is a hard worker. “Sometimes we made bad choices with tragic results,” he said.

Toro is expected to serve four months in jail before being released. She was also fined $1,000 and her drivers license was revoked. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown’s office refused to comment on the sentence Toro received.

Photo: Richard Fuerch (right) leaves Queens Criminal Court with family and supporters after the driver who killed his father last October was sentenced for her role in the wreck.

Dispute Brewing Over VFW Post’s Liquor License

Hearing During Wednesday’s CB5 Meeting

By Conor Greene

A dispute over outdoor drinking at a local VFW post has pitted neighbors who want peace and quiet, against local war veterans just trying to have a good time and relax with friends.

Members of Haspel Staab Post 551 on 60th Avenue have applied to the State Liquor Authority to extend the club’s liquor license to include the 20 foot by 40 foot paved side yard. Some nearby residents are opposed to the request and want the license to remain as is, restricting the drinking to indoors, according to Ralph DeSanto, who filed a complaint with the state and circulated a petition.

DeSanto has lived in the house next to the post’s building since 1962. He said that until two years ago, no events had ever been held in the side yard since the post occupied the building in about 1970. He claims that this year, events have regularly spilled into the yard, and also alleges that the post has rented the space out for non-member functions.

He did say that “the post has gotten quieter in August” after the state began investigating his complaint. However, he doesn’t want any outdoor drinking to be allowed. “These parties have adversely affected our families and our quality of life,” he said. “We cannot sit in our homes without what we consider excessive noise.”

A public hearing on the post’s request to expand its license will be held at Wednesday’s Community Board 5 meeting, even though it is not required, said District Manager Gary Giordano. On one side will be residents say the post’s gatherings interfere with their quality of life; on the other will be members who say the issue is overblown and has become a personal vendetta carried out by DeSanto.

As a result of the battle with some neighbors, the post has decided to put the building at 84-02 60th Avenue up for sale, according to its commander, Michael Brown. “This is so overblown,” he said of the dispute.

Brown said that the only events held at the hall this year were a Memorial Day barbecue and a party during the July 4th parade. A “small picnic” is planned for this Sunday, along with an October 18 “fundraiser for the troops,” according to Brown. He said the post “absolutely never” rented the hall out for non-member functions.

“It’s a very low key place – I would like to have them as my neighbors,” said Brown. “It’s just this guy has a viciousness against us.” He said that DeSanto’s brother was previously banned from the post for “inappropriate behavior.”

Brown said the “majority” of events are held inside the hall, with the yard mostly used for cooking. “We just wanted to get an amendment to the license in case of the Memorial Day parade, to cover our behinds,” he said, explaining that DeSanto called the police this year because of their party, but no tickets were issued.

The CB 5 hearing comes after residents supporting both sides submitted petitions, said Giordano. He said complaints “about people outside making noise is not going to get their liquor license revoked, but it might get the SLA to pay attention to them.”

The SLA wouldn’t confirm that it is investigating DeSanto’s complaints, but noted that the post doesn’t have any prior violations.

The Juniper Park Civic Association, which represents about 1,650 families in the area, opposed the post’s request in a July letter to the SLA. The civic’s president, Robert Holden, said the group has “received complaints from nearby neighbors who have stated that the post is already having parties outdoors, serving liquor and in general making noise that has disrupted the neighborhood.”

While recognizing the sacrifice made to the country by the military and the post’s “charitable efforts in our community,” Holden argues that “it is not right for this VFW Post to feel that they can disrupt their neighbors by extending their entertainment outdoors.”

The group’s vice president, Lorraine Sciulli, said in an interview that “constant outdoor partying is out of the question” and that “it is unfortunate that the VFW feels they have the right to these disruptive outdoor celebrations.”

In response, Brown said the civic has yet to approach the post directly with any specific complaints.

Thomas Monaghan, an attorney representing the post in the liquor license request, stressed that “no one has the right to use their property to the annoyance and harassment of surrounding property owners... But that doesn’t mean they can’t barbecue and sit out in the yard and have conversations and listen to music moderately. That’s what life is all about in the big city – we live shoulder to shoulder.”

For DeSanto, the solution is simple – keep the party inside. “Our block would be satisfied if the post returned to its traditional respect for the neighbors and kept the parties inside, as it has done for years,” he said. “Mike Brown is a good man who has been seeking to revitalize the post, but I think he made a mistake two years ago by bringing the noise and drinking outdoors.”

According to Brown, the post might end up leaving the neighborhood if it gets an acceptable offer for the building. “If the people don’t want us, we’re going to go,” he said. “We would really prefer not to, we want to be an asset to the community and try to help and do the right thing.”

In the opinion of Monaghan, who lives in Broad Channel and isn’t a post member, the issue has simply “gotten out of hand” and should end in an amicable manner. However, after several letters were exchanged between the post and DeSanto, the two sides were un- able to reach a compromise.

“Ironically, it was Fourth of July that broke the camel’s back, singing God Bless America,” said Monaghan. “I feel sorry for everybody as it could get messy and expensive. What’sthe point? I suggested they sit down and have a hamburger and beer and work it out. But not in the alley.”

Group Builds New Playgrounds at Two Elementary Schools

Out2Play Upgrades Equipment at PS 81 and PS 153

By Conor Greene

Children at two local schools will have brand new playground equipment to keep them active during recess this year, as part of an effort by a non-profit group to ensure that every city school features room for students to get exercise.

New playgrounds at PS 153 in Maspeth and PS 81 in Ridgewood have been completed in time for the school year, according to Andrea Wenner, founder of Out2Play. The organization, launched three years ago, transforms empty asphalt lots adjacent to schools into playgrounds and has turned its attention to Queens for the first time.

“When I first started it, we surveyed all of the elementary schools in the city and found that close to 300 didn’t have playgrounds,” said Wenner. “They had the space, which was just an empty lot sitting there, and the kids would go outside and just stand around and not be especially active while out there.”

Wenner’s vision was launched while she was in business school at Columbia University, after working with a group that rebuilds high school athletic fields as part of a public-private partnership.

“I used to live near an elementary school that didn’t have a playground and thought, ‘why not do the same thing at the elementary level,’” she recalled. “I initially thought it was a space issue, so my first vision was to build playgrounds on rooftops of schools. I realized that a lot of schools did have space at ground level, which made it infinitely easier.”

Out2Play uses a combination of public and private funding, with money coming from city council members, borough presidents, residents, foundations and corporate sponsors. The organization works with the individual school on a specific design for the playground, and then hires the contractor and manages the project until completion.

“The only thing the schools are responsible for once it’s done is maintaining the playground,” said Wenner. “Of course, we also want their input for the design.”

By the end of the fall, Wenner expects that Out2Play will have overseen the construction or refurbishment of playgrounds at 40 schools citywide over the past three years. Her goal is to install playgrounds at 160 schools by 2011, leaving her with about 120 to go. Last year, the group built 14 playgrounds in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan using $2.5 million. This year, it is working on 26 playgrounds using about $5.5 million.

“At the very outset we focused on the Bronx and got traction there,” said Wenner. “We then made a push to make it a citywide program and expanded to all five boroughs this year.” It turns out that the need has been greatest in the Bronx and Brooklyn, as many schools in Queens already have playgrounds, according to Wenner.

However, Wenner still recognized the need for playgrounds at some schools in Queens, and decided to include PS 153 and PS 81 in her effort to bring Out2Play citywide. “We got a lot of support from Helen Marshall and worked with her office to take a look at different schools in Queens that needed playgrounds,” she said.

The project at PS 81 includes upgrades to the large yard behind the main school building at 559 Cypress Avenue and installation of a metal play structure behind the annex building on Seneca Avenue, according to Wenner. Work there is expected to be completed by the end of this week and includes slides, climbers, trees, benches, chess tables and blacktop games such as hopscotch, four-square and volleyball.

The project at PS 153, located on 60th Lane, was finished last week. Along with slides, climbers, trees, benches and blacktop games, the playground there features a rock climbing wall.

“Our goal is to make sure that every elementary school in the city that needs a playground gets one,” said Wenner. “We’re looking for all the support we can get to achieve our goal, both from public and private [sources]. People always assume it is a space issue when they hear that schools don’t have a playground, but the fact is the majority of those schools do have some sort of outdoor space that hasn’t been developed into anything usable as far as a playground.”

For more information about the organization, check Out2Play.org.

SUM Totaled: Graffiti Vandal Caught Thanks to Resident's Tip

By Patricia Adams

The reign of the graffiti vandal known throughout the communities of Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven as Sum Z, ended with his arrest at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. Police in five precincts, four in Queens and one in Brooklyn, have been looking for the elusive bandit for nearly a year. Authorities say he is responsible for tagging hundreds of locations and his etchings have been seen as far as Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn.

John Colasanti, a 35-year-old unemployed white male, was taken into custody after he was observed by a neighborhood civic member on his way home from work. Scott Jordan was driving home after 4 am on Saturday when he observed an 18-wheeler parked near the triangle at 87th street and Rockaway Blvd.

“I saw movement and then I saw a man and a woman. The man was spraying something on the truck. I moved my vehicle so the lights would shine on the truck and that’s when I saw the word SUM.” Jordan said he was overwhelmed with excitement over the sight because the graffiti vandal known as SUM had been plaguing his community and many others for many months. “All I could think was, we got him. We got him.”

Jordan called 911 and told the operator that he had one of the most notorious grafitti vandals Queens has ever known in his sights. “I stayed behind them, about 25 feet or so, and just kept calling the police.” At one point Jordan said the woman who was with Colasanti, identified as a 22-year old black female named Lindo Z., approached him in his truck to ask him if he wanted a date. “The woman was a prostitute. She thought I was looking for a girl.” Jordan said he let her know immediately he wasn’t at all interested in what she was selling.

When police from the 102 arrived at the scene they verified with Jordan that he had seen SUM and his girlfriend tagging the truck. “I saw him write out the Z and then she filled it in”. Jordan said that Colasanti was carrying two knapsacks, one of which was filled with cans of Krylon spray paint at the time of his arrest as well as a small bucket with a paint roller and a handful of stencils made from cardboard he used to outline his tags.

Jordan was recognized for his help in the arrest at a Town Hall meeting of the Our Neighbors Civic Association on Tuesday evening in Ozone Park. In addition to getting the reward offered by the NYPD for the arrest and capture of SUM, Jordan received citations from Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer and Councilman Joe Addabbo.

The 106 Pct Graffiti Unit Coordinator, Officer Frank Reina, told The Forum that the capture of Sum Z was a tremendous coup for the police. “This individual was brazenly traveling around all of our neighboring communities and managed to tag hundreds of locations.” Reina, who is well known through- out the precinct for his continuous efforts over the years to wipe out graffiti in the 106, says Sum Z was the most challenging. “All that matters is that we got this guy. Now we are looking for the DA’s office to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.”

The commanding officer of the 102 Pct, where the actual collar was made, Captain Charles McEvoy, and Community Affairs Officer, John McCoy were both on hand to talk about the arrest. “Our success in this arrest is because of community participation and because of Scott Jordan,” said McEvoy. “This vandal has finally been put behind bars where he belongs.” Captain McEvoy said that the NYPD Vandals Squad and personnel from the 106 were called in and that all those involved went to DA Brown’s office collectively to offer prosecutors a complete picture of the widespread damage caused by the man known as SUM.

Officer McCoy was responsible for debriefing Colasanti back at the precinct and it was then that the vandal disclosed the origin of his tag. SUM was derived from the words awesome and handsome, allegedly suggested by Colasanti’s cousin. McCoy also explained to residents at the meeting that the reason some of the tags read only SUM was due to Colasanti being alone when he tagged them. When accompanied by his girlfriend he attached the Z for the first letter of her last name.

Colasanti remains incarcerated, having not posted the required $10,000 bail, and is scheduled to return to court on September 11.

Photo: Democratic District Leader Frank Gulluscio presents community activist Scott Jordan with a citation from Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer.

The Finances of Cancer Care: Making Things a Little Easier

Having cancer is certainly difficult enough and when the crisis hits, the last thing you need be concerned with is money. You should not have to worry about health insurance and taking care of all the costs associated with cancer care. But the reality is you need to be prepared with how to deal with the monetary obligations associated with cancer.

Most hospitals and medical facilities have representatives who are able to deal with your questions and insurance problems. Look at your own policy to determine exactly what your coverage provides for. If you are not up to doing this yourself, rely on a family member or close friend who is up to handling the task for you.

There are laws that protect your rights as a patient, and you would do well to make sure you incorporate all of the benefits of these into your care program.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): This act provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year beyond whatever sick leave you are entitled to at work. Under this law, your employer is required to maintain your health coverage during the leave.

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA): This give workers and their families the right to continue group health insurance benefits for a limited time, usually 18 months, after they lose benefits due to a job loss, reduced work hours or other life events.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): This prohibits discrimination against employees and their dependents enrolled in group health plans based on their health status, provides for coverage under group health plans that limit exclusions for preexisting conditions and allow individuals to enroll in a new plan under certain circumstances.

For more information on the above resources, go to the Department of Labor’s Web site at www.dol.gov

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): This act prohibits employment discrimination in the private sector and in state and local government employment against qualified individuals with disabilities. For more information, go to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Web site at www.eeoc.gov

If you do not have sufficient insurance to cover the costs of care or you need help with co-payments, here you will find some of the resources available to you to provide financial assistance to help you pay the bills.

The Health Well Foundation: This group provides financial assistance to patients with breast cancer, colorectal carcinoma, cutaneous T-call lymphoma, carcinoid tumors and chemotherapy induced anemia or neutropenia. If you qualify, the Foundation will grant you full or partial assistance for up to 12 months.

Please refer to www.healthwellfoundation.org for details.

The Patient Advocate Foundation: This co-pay relief program provides direct financial support for prescription co-payments to insured patients being treated for breast, lung, prostate, kidney, colon, and pancreatic cancers, head and neck cancers, malignant brain tumors, multiple myeloma and chemotherapy related complications. For more information go to www.patientadvocate.org

CancerCare Inc.: Limited financial assistance for pain medication, home care, childcare and transportation for patients with all types of cancers as well as limited assistance to pay for hormonal and oral chemotherapy is provided here, as well as anti-nausea medication, lymphedema supplies and durable medical equipment
for patients with breast cancer. See www.cancer- care.org for more information

The Chronic Disease Fund : The Fund offers to pay some out-of-pocket expenses for underinsured patients with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, and non-small cell lung cancer. The fund considers income levels by geographic area and the number of household dependents. See more at www.cdfund.org

Children’s Leukemia Research Association: They help to pay for care not covered by insurance. www.childrensleukemia.org

Bone Marrow Foundation Patient Aid Program: This program can cover the cost of donor searches, compatibility testing, bone marrow procurement, medication, transportation, housing expenses and many other ancillary costs associated with a transplant. Go to their web site at www.bonemarrow.org.

Free or Low Cost Prescriptions: Most of the major pharmaceutical companies and
biotechnology companies offer patient assistance programs (PAP’s) to uninsured patients to help you get needed cancer medications. There are income eligibility requirements to qualify for assistance, but the requirements vary widely.

Most PAP’s require and income ceiling of about twice the federal poverty level, but some go as high as $60,000. Biotech companies generally have higher income limits to qualify because their products can be more expensive. PAP’s also require patients be uninsured for drugs, a US citizen and proof of income.

Additional Sources of Information:

Amagen Reimbursement Connection: www.amgen.com/patients/assitance.html
Bristol-Meyers Squibb Patient Assistance Foundation: www.bmspaf.org
Genetech’s Single Point of Contact: www.spoconline.com
GlaxoSmithKline’s Commitment to Access: www.commitmenttoaccess.gsk.com
Lilly Cares: www.lillycares.com
Needy Meds: www.needymeds.com
Partnership for Perscription Assitance: www.pparx.org
RxAssist and Rx Outreach Patients Assistance Programs: www.rxassist.org
RxHope: www.rxhope.com
Together Rx Access: www.togetherrxaccess.com

While we hope to offer useful information and helpful tips about things that may make the process of coping with cancer easier, please remember that this feature series is in no way meant to act in place of medical advice or prescribed treatments. It is meant as a resource and a tool to be used in conjunction with other aides that patients, their families and caregivers may benefit from. Always speak to your doctor or a qualified medical professional before taking steps or making changes in your healthcare regimen.

This Week's Forum South and West

Baldeo Walks Away from Senate Race, Clearing the Way for Addabbo

Residents Fighting 20-Story Apartment and Hotel Proposal

Feds Agree to Study Newtown Creek Spill

Willets Point Critic Agrees to Maspeth Relocation

Fulfilling Her Vision, Teacher Opens Drama School in Maspeth

Woman Robbed and Raped at Gunpoint in Richmond Hill

State Releases Annual List of "Persistently Dangerous" Schools

Forest Hills: A Causalty of the Falling Economy

Baldeo Walks Away from Senate Race, Clearing the Path for Addabbo

By Patricia Adams

Unity was the order of the day last Friday when State Senate candidate Joe Addabbo received the unexpected endorsement of Albert Baldeo, his would-be opponent in the September 9th Democratic Primary. According to Baldeo, he arrived at his unique decision in the name of party unity.

Standing in front of Baldeo’s law office on Liberty Avenue to receive the official endorsement, Addabbo was joined by Queens County Democratic Party Leader, Congressman Joe Crowley, NY State Senate Minority Leader Senator Malcolm Smith and Congressman Gregory Meeks.

Baldeo said, “I’m proud to be supporting Joe Addabbo for State Senate and plan to work with him here in the district, and hopefully in Albany, for the good of my community. Joe Addabbo has been an outstanding Councilman and I have full confidence that he will bring that same spirit of openness and leadership with him to Albany. Joe Addabbo is the best candidate to beat Maltese in November, I encourage all my supporters to vote for Joe.”

Addabbo graciously accepted Baldeo’s ringing endorsement saying, “I applaud his [Albert’s] wholehearted embrace of the democratic process. The Democratic Party is the party of inclusion, it’s a big tent with room for everyone, and we are stronger for his efforts. I look forward to working together as we head into November to bring real reform to Albany and accomplish our shared goals of increased funding for education, better jobs and benefits, increased access to government services, and improving the lives of middle class and hard working people. The voters of the 15th Senate District deserve nothing less.”

“The best way for us to achieve our goals is by working together," said Queens County Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Crowley. “I look forward to a united Queens County Democratic party working to elect Councilman Joe Addabbo to the New York State Senate.”

Addabbo’s graciousness may have come as a surprise to many, given that in recent months Baldeo and some of his supporters have been blatant in their attempts to blacken Addabbo’s political and personal reputation. According to Democratic Party activist Betty Braton, “It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Joe is able to find a way to work together with an adversary. Addabbo’s a consensus builder who knows that people don’t always agree, so common ground must be found to move forward. That is one of his biggest strengths.”

Although the endorsement by Baldeo was seen by some to be a surprise twist in this hotly contested race, many say that recent track of campaign activity was a key indicator that Baldeo was getting ready to step aside. Voters throughout the sprawling district have received no phone calls or mailers from Baldeo while Addabbo has been placed at events in all parts of the district. While Baldeo did make some appearances, they were confined to one small section of the area.

In recent weeks the Addabbo for Senate campaign “has been in high gear with phone banks running, two campaign offices operational, and Joe knocking on doors discussing issues with voters all throughout the district,” said Democratic District Leader Frank Gulluscio. “We welcome Baldeo’s participation in our effort to insure better representation for the district by defeating the incumbent in November.”

Both Gulluscio and Braton have been strong supporters of Addabbo since his first run for public office in 1997. Like Addabbo, both have been on the receiving end of vicious attack and trash talk by Baldeo or his supporters since 2006. When asked why they could join

Addabbo in accepting Baldeo’s support, both indicated that although some people think insults are an acceptable part of politics, their view is that, as Addabbo said, “the Democratic Party is the party of inclusion” and there is common ground in the desire of Democrats of differing views in both camps to win the 15th State Senate seat in November.

“People all across this country are tired of division and polarization,” Gulluscio said, and “are calling for an end to the bitterness between the parties, less focus on ideology, and more focus on working together where there is common ground to get the people’s business done.”

“Our party has been listening to that call,” Braton said. “Within our own party, by unifying with Baldeo and helping Joe Addabbo take this seat, we’re taking a step toward putting acrimony and division behind us. It would be insulting to our country’s democratic process to not work collectively to accomplish what both sides agree on – winning in November.”

Clearly the message sent by local Democrats at the press conference incorporated not only their desire to send Addabbo to Albany, but addressed the grander scheme – to recapture the Democratic State Senate majority which has eluded them for more than 40 years.

Although Baldeo’s name will remain on the ballot for next month’s primary, he indicates he will be working with Addabbo in the effort to oust Senator Maltese and is urging all 70,000 registered Democrats to vote for Addabbo, not him, on September 9th.

Photo: A crowd of pleased onlookers, including Democratic District Leader Frank Gulluscio (left) and State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, applaud a handshake exchanged by Albert Baldeo and the man they hope to send to the New York State Senate, Councilman Joe Addabbo.

Residents Fighting 20-Story Apartment and Hotel Proposal

By Conor Greene

KEW GARDENS – Residents are fighting a proposal to build a 20-story hotel and apartment building near Queens Boulevard, but face an uphill battle since the so-called “monstrosity” is allowed under the current zoning.

Area residents and Councilman Tony Avella held a protest last Thursday at the construction site on 82nd Avenue to call attention to the negative impact they say the project will have on the area. The site is being developed by the owners of the Pasta Lovers Trattoria, and the building is slated to sit on land behind the business previously used for restaurant parking.

The residents, many of who live in the adjacent 134-unit Hampton House apartment building on 82nd Street, first learned of the project when a construction crew began digging a huge hole on the property on June 30, according to resident Natalie Dauphin. After they filed complaints with the city Department of Buildings, a stop work order and several violations were issued in July.


According to the DOB, the stop work order was issued on July 18 because the developer did not have a copy of the approved plans on site and due to inadequate guardrails next to the excavation. A permit was issued on June 27 for a mixed use residential and commercial building containing 20 stories and a cellar, according to the department.

The project will include 27 parking spaces and an office in the cellar, 17 parking spaces, retail and offices space on the ground level, a community facility and ambulatory care center on the second floor and hotel rooms and apartments in the remaining space, according to the residents.

Dauphin, who has helped organize the fight against the proposal, accused the developer of having a “lack of concern for our safety” and said residents “are afraid of having cranes in this neighborhood looming over these apartment buildings.” She is also “absolutely terrified” that the construction is damaging the foundation of the six-story Hampton House, which is 50 years old.

Avella (D-Bayside) said the area needs to be rezoned to prevent this type of out of character development. He the “neighborhood cannot handle the impact” of the project, including increased traffic and pollution. “We’re not going to give up until we get satisfaction with this project,” he said.

Janice Dillman, an 18-year resident of Hampton House, said that after the project’s plans were rejected three times, “all of a sudden it was approved” and digging began on the property, which was still being used as a parking lot for the restaurant. “They didn’t have fences up and still had people parking,” she said. “I just don’t think there is any concern for us.”

Several other community leaders were at last week’s rally, including a representative from Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn’s office and Mel Gagarin, a candidate to succeed Melinda Katz as the 29th District’s representative on City Council. Katz was in Denver this week and did not respond to a message left with her spokeswoman seeking comment on the proposal.

“We stand united today to draw a line in the sand, to let the owner of Pasta Lovers know, and to let developers across this city know, that our communities will not stand idly by while our neighborhoods are lost block by block,” said Gagarin.

“This will destroy what is supposed to be a great place to live,” said Dauphin.

Top: Councilman Tony Avella and residents Natalie Dauphin and Mel Gagarin speak at last week’s rally.
Right: Residents are concerned that the 20-story building will tower over their six-story building behind the construction site.

Feds Agree to Study Newtown Creek Spill

Could Lead to Superfund Designation

By Conor Greene

Two local lawmakers are one step closer to having the Newtown Creek included in the national cleanup program. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to conduct testing at several sites along the creek, which could lead to its inclusion in the Superfund program.

Representatives Anthony Weiner and Nydia Velazquez, both Democrats who represent parts of the area surrounding Newtown Creek, had called on the EPA to test the area to see if it warranted inclusion in the federal Superfund program. Doing so could lead to millions of dollars in funding for the cleanup and allow the federal government to hold the companies causing the contamination responsible.

The creek is a 3.5-mile waterway running between Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Maspeth, Queens. It is known as the city’s most heavily polluted waterway and was the site of a huge oil spill in 1950.

This week, Weiner and Velazquez’s offices released a letter from Alan Steinberg, regional administrator at the EPA, informing them that agency will work with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which is conducting its own cleanup of the creek, to determine what chemicals are present there.

“To address your concerns regarding testing of the abovementioned properties (Phelps Dodge, BCF Oil, Quanta Resources and National Grid), and to define the nature and extent further of the hazardous substances that may be present… EPA will review existing information from ongoing and past environmental investigations,” he wrote.

Following the review of the investigations, the EPA will “develop a sampling plan” to fill in any gaps in data that may be needed to determine whether the Newtown Creek is accepted into the Superfund program. “We anticipate that this effort will take approximately six months to complete. Once the data are collected, EPA will evaluate what additional actions, if any, may be warranted in accordance with CERCLA,” wrote Steinberg. CERLA stands for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, which was the 1980 law creating the Superfund program.

Steinberg notes in the letter, dated August 15, that the state DEC “has investigated a number of sites in this area… that are potentially contributing to the contamination in Newtown Creek… As you know, a major impact on Newtown Creek is associated with oil releases that are being addressed through state enforcement and oversight of cleanup efforts conducted by private parties.”

The state cleanup effort involves an agreement reached with ExxonMobil forcing the company to clean up about 17 million gallons of oil that leaked into the ground and water when a tank exploded in 1950. The spill was discovered by the Coast Guard in 1978, and to date about half of the spill has been cleaned up.

Basil Seggos, chief investigator for Riverkeeper, said the announcement means “a restored Newtown Creek is within reach.” The EPA’s resources “will prove indispensable in protecting the creek and its surrounding communities from a legacy of toxic dumping,” he said.

Weiner called the EPA’s commitment to test the sites “a big win” for residents living near the creek. “These tests will help us find answers to basic questions about the spill’s health and environmental risks, giving this environmental disaster the national attention it deserves.”

In other news related to Newtown Creek, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced recently that an Appellate Court judge has ruled that a case against a cement company accused of illegal dumping can move forward.

In 2005, Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes charged Constantine Quadrozzi and his company, Quality Concrete of Metropolitan Avenue with violating multiple provisions of the state Environmental Conservation Law and with dumping hazardous materials into the creek.

A Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice later dismissed the entire indictment after ruling that Hynes lacked the authority to prosecute cases under the Environmental Conservation Law without the involvement of the state DEC and that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges.

Following an appeal filed by Hynes’ office, the Appellate Division rejected those conclusions and reinstated all of the charges contained within the appeal, the district attorney announced on August 21.

Willets Point Critic Agrees to Maspeth Relocation

Crown Container Inks Deal with City EDC

By Conor Greene

One of the most vocal opponents to the city’s plan to redevelop Willets Point has reportedly agreed to make way for the project and relocate to a Maspeth site.

Jerry Antonacci, owner of Crown Container, has agreed to sell his 23,000-square-foot property to the city, according to several published reports. Under the agreement, the waste transfer company started by his father in 1959 would move from 34th Avenue to a location in Maspeth.

The city’s Economic Development Corp, which is overseeing the city’s ambitious plan to redevelop the industrial area near Shea Stadium into housing, retail and office space, has yet to formally announce the agreement with Crown Container, which was first reported last week.

Antonacci was on vacation this week and unavailable to comment on the reported deal. However, he told Crain’s New York Business, “All I can say is it’s a very good deal… The last couple of weeks we put a lot of time in, and we got it done.”

The deal with Crown Container would mark the fifth agreement the EDC has signed with the approximately 250 businesses based in Willets Point. Many owners have publicly expressed concern that the city will use eminent domain to seize their land if they don’t enter into an agreement.

While the exact location in Maspeth hasn’t been announced, it will likely be in an industrial area near Grand Avenue and 48th Street near the Newtown Creek, currently home to a number of businesses.

Sources are speculating that the city will wait until after Labor Day to announce several deals at once, according to a recent report in Crain’s.

Up to this point, Antonacci had been one of the most outspoken members of the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, which is a group of landowners opposed to the city’s redevelopment plan. He has withdrawn from that group now that he has reached a deal with the city, but said he is still concerned about the threat of eminent domain.

“I don’t want to see eminent domain used on anybody,” he said. “I hope the city treats everyone else as good as they treated me. If they do, maybe you won’t see so much fight,” he told Crain’s.

Fulfilling Her Vision, Teacher Opens Children's Drama School in Maspeth

By Nicole Turso

Sitting at a table at the Sly Fox Inn in Fresh Meadows years ago, Rose Terranova was read her fortune—the teller spread cards out on the table, studied, paused and exclaimed, “You were supposed to be famous, what happened?” Terranova took those words to heart, and later put them into practice.

Terranova, of Maspeth, is no stranger to brushes with fame, having been a self-proclaimed “starving artist” as a singer, even making demo records for large companies including Columbia Records and working as a television personality for the Prayer Channel.

Her latest venture, perhaps closest to her heart and reminiscent of her two greatest passions—performance art and teaching—is an after school drama program for children opening next month. Over coffee at the Georgia Diner in Elmhurst, the fiery redhead recently chronicled her journey to the present and her non-profit business, including her many various, and sometimes eccentric, careers.

“I did a lot of praying because I didn’t have a clue as to what it was that I wanted to do with my life,” said Terranova, “I like to say I was a late bloomer.”

She worked as a bank teller, a bookstore clerk, even tried her hand at writing a musical comedy, but it was a dream one sleepy night that lead Terranova to a career which would span 25 years.

In the dream, Terranova remembered, a former employer who had passed away appeared across a large plaza filled with people. He led her into a building, which she recognized as her old elementary school and said, “This is where you’re supposed to be.”

“I woke up as if someone had hit me over the head with something,” she explained, “I could not shake this idea of teaching out of my brain.”

Terranova minored in secondary education in college eventually landing a position as a teacher at St. Adalbert’s School in Elmhurst. She spent 17 years educating middle school children and flexing her performing arts muscles as the director of the school’s theater group, Black Friars.

“It was the first job I ever had where I looked forward to waking up in the morning—to see those kids,” Terranova said, a gleam in her eye. “I was fortunate.”

Her love for teaching eventually lead Terranova to a position teaching sixth grade religion on television at The Prayer Channel in 1999. Throughout her eight years at the station, she co-produced four interactive series for children, never straying too far from the classroom—taking her shows to various schools to interview and teach children. “I always say teaching is like being on a stage,” she said, laughing.

Terranova left The Prayer Channel hoping to return to the classroom, but found that she would need to re-apply for certification. Crushed that she couldn’t resume her career immediately, Terranova began entertaining the idea of starting her own business. “I can do all of this, but why should I continue doing it for other people,” she said. “Let me start doing it for myself.”

It was May and Terranova had come to a crossroads. Facing unemployment, she was forced to decide whether to move out of New York City for a more favorable economic situation, or to take a chance.

She decided to stay in the city, and soon found that the risk would be worth the reward. With the support of the surrounding community, Terranova acquired space in one of vacant buildings on the Holy Cross Catholic School campus on 61st Street - which closed in 2005 along with a number of other Queens parochial schools - and applied to become a non-profit organization.

“Ms. Rose’s 2B Named Drama School” as it is being called in the interim, was certified as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization with the goal of involving children in all aspects of performance art, including behind the scenes work and on-stage, to develop leadership, cooperation and teamwork skills.

The after school program for students ages 7 to 17 consists of 10-week trimesters, with weekly classes and courses including character development, the importance of costume and make-up, set design, lighting and sound, and the role of stage manager. Students will also have the chance to show off what they’ve learned to family and friends at two performances - one holiday show and one at the end of the year.

For Terranova it is a dream realized. “My mother always used to say I would be a success in life if I left the world a little bit better for having passed this way, “ Terranova said, “Hopefully in this way, I will.” As for fame, Terranova has to disagree with her psychic connection. “Fame is an illusion—just a state of mind,” she concluded.

Ms. Rose’s 2B Named Drama School is at 56-01 61st Street in Maspeth. For details, call (718) 326-2467 or log on to missrosesdramaschool.org. Registration for fall courses ends the first week of September.

Woman Robbed and Raped at Gunpoint

Attacked Early Monday in Richmond Hill

By Conor Greene

An 18-year-old woman was raped and robbed at gunpoint while walking home from a local convenience store in Richmond Hill early Monday morning, heightening fears in an area already on high alert due to a string of sexual assaults.

The woman was walking back to her house at about 1:45 a.m. Monday after using the ATM at a nearby corner store when the attacker pulled out a silver gun and dragged her from 103rd Avenue to a driveway of a private home near 123rd Street, according to police.

The man raped the woman and stole $20 and her ATM card before fleeing the area. A resident told Channel 7 that he tried to chase the man down, but the attacker was able to get away.

The Daily News quoted the victim’s boyfriend as saying that his girlfriend ran home after the attack and pointed out the assailant to him and his friends. They chased the man, who jumped into the passenger side of a waiting car and was driven away, according to the newspaper.

Police said this attack doesn’t fit the description of motives used by either of the two men already wanted for a string of sexual assaults in the area. In those attacks, the suspects either threatened the women verbally or flashed a knife.

However, Channel 7 reported that Monday's attack matches a recent unsolved gunpoint robbery in the area. Nevertheless, the incident has left many area residents shaken, especially since there could be as many as three attackers preying on women walking along at night.

“If I find out who did it before the police find out, it’s not going to be a happy case,” the victim’s boyfriend told the DailyNews.

The victim was treated at Queens Hospital Center. Police are continuing their investigation of the recent attacks.

State Releases Annual List of "Persistently Dangerous" Schools

PS9 in Maspeth Included, Jamaica High Removed

By Conor Greene

Sixteen city schools, including one in Maspeth, have been named “persistently dangerous” in an annual reported released by the state.

A total of 19 schools around the state - down from 27 last year - have been identified in the report, which is required under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Within the city, 15 schools reported a large enough decrease in violent incidents to warrant being removed from the list, including Jamaica High School.

The state uses a formula involving the number of violent incidents and a school’s enrollment to determine which should be considered “persistently dangerous.” Schools that have approximately six violent incidents per 100 students are included. Violent incidents include homicide, sexual offenses, robbery, assault, arson, and possession of a weapon. Students are given the option of transferring out of dangerous schools provided there is room at an alternate venue.

The state’s list is based on reports provided by the schools, leading to some concern that administrators underreport the number of incidents to avoid being placed labeled as dangerous. In contract, the city designates what it calls “impact schools” using date gathered from police reports.

There were no Queens schools added to the list this year, while Jamaica High School was removed after reporting a decrease in crime. In Maspeth, PS 9 Walter Reed School is on the list for the second consecutive year.

“School leaders have responded and as their schools become safer for children they come off the list,” said state education commissioner Richard Mills. He said the department will conduct audits of safety reports submitted by schools and vowed, “If we find underreporting, the list will get longer. Children must have safe schools.”

All schools designated as “persistently dangerous” are required to provide school choice to students if transfer options are available. Each school also receives financial support and technical assistance from the state to improve safety.

According to information provided by the state education department, there were three reported sexual offenses at PS 9 during the 2006-07 school year, the latest for which statistics are available. In addition, there was one assault resulting in serious injury, one assault with a weapon, 20 assaults without weapons and 14 minor altercations involving weapons. The school’s enrollment that year was 430 students.

Like the majority of city schools included in the list, PS 9 is part of the city’s District 75, which serves 23,000 students with moderate to severe special needs challenges in 350 schools citywide.

For details about the report, check nysed.gov.

Forest Hills: A Casualty of the Falling Economy

By Steve Tiszenkel

There’s a store across the street from my apartment building on Queens Boulevard—or, more accurately, there used to be a store across the street. It was a RadioShack, certainly not my favorite chain electronics store—I prefer not to be pressured into signing up for a pricey cell-phone plan when I buy a pack of AA batteries—but a respectable business nonetheless. I’ve long since lost track of how long RadioShack has been gone, but it’s definitely been more than a year, possibly approaching two. The empty storefront casts a foreboding metaphorical shadow over my building, somehow even uglier than most empty store-fronts, for-rent signs posted haphazardly in the windows and hanging limply over the door, mocking the idea espoused by some that the economy is doing better than advertised.

The former RadioShack used to be the only empty storefront in my neighborhood, if you define “neighborhood” as “area I can see out my window.” But in the past couple of months, a real-estate agency went under, too. Just a little farther down the road, there's a guitar store that's been closed even longer than RadioShack. And on the other side of the street, a coffee shop that served the area for decades sits vacant, a desperate-looking plea for renters in the window, its awning roughly ripped off, not looking like it's likely to be replaced anytime soon. And then there's the old Ethan Allen, its last piece of luxurious oak furniture sold months ago, its distinctive architecture making it clear that this building is unlikely ever to be anything but another Ethan Allen.

This is Forest Hills in 2008. Of course, it's not a local problem. In case you didn't get the memo, the economy has seen better days. We're mired in what most economists consider a recession. Times are tough for individuals, and they're tough for small businesses. But even so, Forest Hills seems particularly badly plagued by empty storefronts. And worse yet, our empty store- fronts—especially the ones a little off the beaten path—never seem to fill up again.

Why is the problem so acute here? Maybe, say, Queens Boulevard and 77th Road just isn't a terribly sexy place to open a new business. Maybe the few entrepreneurs left would rather try something less risky. And maybe our local officials just aren't doing so good of a job as they could in spurring local investment. But I think the plague of for-rent signs boils down to one of the primary causes of a recession: a lack of confidence.

I have faith in Queens, and I don't doubt that a little boutique or a nice coffee shop would do great on the barren north side of the Queens Boulevard. But then, it's easy for me to say that when I'm not pouring my heart, soul and life savings into a business. No, in this economy, maybe I wouldn't take a gamble on occupying one of those storefronts, either. But aren't economic downturns supposed to be the times that make millionaires? Moving into the RadioShack space might not buy any enterprising businessman— or even an executive vice president at some soulless chain—a condo in Miami Beach. It might, however, be a surprising success. And seeing success like that would foster a little confidence that all of us could use right about now.

The writer, Steve Tiszenkel is the host of the website Queens Central. Log on to queenscentral.com to read more about Forest Hills and surrounding neighborhoods.

This Week's Forum West and South

Woman Fighting for Life After Struck by Falling Tree

Eight Torahs Stolen from Temple

Customs Officer Indicted in Fatal June Shooting

Residents Hope Funding Will Help Reclaim Charles Park's Beauty

Senator Clinton Pushes for Federal Cleanup of Newtown Creek

Man Strangled During Rent Money Dispute

Queens Woman Infected with West Nile Virus

Myrtle Ave Resurfacing Underway; Maurice Ave Work Planned

Slowing Down the Pace: A Leisurely Look at Central Queens

Woman Still Fighting for Life after Struck by Falling Tree

HIT WHILE WALKING ALONG MYRTLE AVENUE

by Conor Greene

RIDGEWOOD – In a split second, a stroll down Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood turned into a fight against death for a city corrections officer who was struck in the head by a large tree which fell from an elevated freight yard last weekend.

Donna Rypkema, a 10-year veteran of the Corrections Department, was transferred last Monday night from Wyckoff Heights Medical Center to New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan for surgery to relieve life-threatening brain swelling.

There was no further information on her condition as of press time on Wednesday.

She was struck on the head Sunday afternoon as she walked along Myrtle Avenue near the intersection of Fresh Pond Road. The tree, which appeared to be dead, fell from a yard adjacent to Long Island Railroad tracks that is leased by New York and Atlantic Railway.

Witnesses said it is common for smaller branches to fall from the yard onto the sidewalk below, where Rypkema, 38, was struck. “There are always branches falling from there,” one resident told NY1. “Never that size, but always branches falling down. It’s sad that this is probably what it takes to have somebody come up there and cut all that down.”

Rypkema, who is assigned to Rikers Island, was walking through the street fair on her way to meet her sister for manicures when the 20-foot tree uprooted and fell down the hillside onto her. She went into cardiac arrest as shocked witnesses looked on and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Witnesses said they heard a crack and then screaming as the tree struck the woman, who immediately began bleeding profusely as her sister screamed for help. “It was like something out of a movie,” said Eli Kairey, who owns a store near the scene. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Francisco Rodriguez said that the tree came down right after a train passed by. Residents believe it was the vibrations from by the train together with the weakening of the roots beneath the dead tree that caused it [the tree] to topple to the ground below . “So when the train went by, it collapsed,” he said. “It broke into pieces when it fell.”

Other parents said that they purposely avoid walking under the freight yard because the tree was leaning precariously over the sidewalk. “I’m a paranoid father, so I don’t want anything to happen to my son,” said Scott Lopez. “So I stay away from this area.”

In the days following the accident, family and about 100 co-workers remained by Rypkeman’s hospital bed in Wyckoff Heights and in the chapel until she was transferred to Manhattan.

“She is by all accounts a revered, beloved, and very popular corrections officer,” Correction Department spokesman Stephen Morello told reporters outside Wyckoff Hospital.

Her husband and 15-year-old son were initially too distraught to speak with reporters, according to the Corrections Department. Her husband, Louis Abreu, later told the Daily News, “What can I say? It’s a tragedy... She’s well loved by a lot of people. She’s a very good woman.”

Her brother, Michael Rypkema, told the newspaper that CAT scans revealed that her head injury was causing brain swelling, a potentially life-threatening situation that led to her transfer to New York-Presbyterian Hospital. “They’re going to try and reduce the swelling,” he said. “Right now, we’re really just concerned about my sister.”

Paul Victor, president of New York and Atlantic Railway, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the accident. He told WCBS-TV, “I’ve been in this business my whole life... Never have I seen anything like this worldwide.”

He said that recent rains might have caused the tree to fall and disputed witness accounts that a freight train had passed through at the time of the accident. He said that the company’s GPS system shows that it had been more than two hours since a train had been in the area. “If we are responsible, I’m sure we will live up to our responsibilities,” he said.

Above: Paramedics rush Donna Rypkeman into Wyckoff Heights Medical Center after the she was struck in the head by a falling tree.
Left: An officer stands at the scene at Myrtle Avenue.
The Forum Newsgroup/photos by ROBERT STRIDIRON

Eight Torahs Stolen from Temple

Inside Job Suspected in $500,000 Heist

By Conor Greene

Eight torahs worth nearly a half million dollars were stolen from the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills, leaving the congregation reeling after the making the shocking discovery during a recent service.

About 60 members were in the midst of services last Saturday morning when the theft was discovered, according to congregant Herman Saltzman, who chairs the temple’s Pews and Memorials Committee. Since the torahs are always locked up, the congregation’s leaders and police suspect an inside job.

The discovery came during a part of the service when “somebody gets the honor of pulling back the curtain” to reveal the torahs, said Saltzman on Monday inside the temple at 71-35 Main Street. He was sitting in the temple’s last row on Saturday when the curtain was pulled back, revealing the theft. “I saw everybody standing, bewildered,” he said. “We couldn’t continue the service – it was something we had never seen before.”

Following the realization that the books were missing, the worshipers were left “standing in complete shock,” said Saltzman. “After a few moments of dazed shock one of the past presidents called the cops, who came in droves.”

Because the ark containing the torahs is connected to an alarm and includes steel gates, police are reportedly looking into whether somebody associated with the temple is involved in the theft. “It had to be an inside job – nothing was broken or compromised,” said Saltzman. “They are registered, but unfortunately like most things, there is a black market for it.”

He estimates each torah is worth between $30,000 and $60,000, adding that each is valuable due to the individual significance and meaning they carry. They were donated to the temple over the past 67 years “by people to commemorate special occasions in their lives,” said Saltzman.

A torah is a scroll of parchment containing the first five books Moses. They are handwritten and can take more than a year to complete, according to Saltzman.

He said that the congregation has been hit hard by the theft, and by the thought that it was an inside job. “We have a number of holocaust survivors in the congregation, and one called me and said it brings back all the bad memories,” he said, fighting back tears. “It’s a violation.”

Police have yet to announce any suspects or arrests in the incident, but are reportedly reviewing surveillance videos from nearby buildings and interviewing people who had access to the temple and to the three sets of keys that unlock the ark. They reportedly gathered fingerprints and other forensic materials at the scene.

Now, the temple’s members are left wondering who would do this, and how they will move forward. “How could this happen?” asked Saltzman. “All we want is them back. We’re not looking to sue or incarcerate – just bring them back.”

Above: Herman Saltzman stands in front of the ark from where eight torahs were stolen.

The Forum Newsgroup/photos by CONOR GREENE

Customs Officer Indicted for Fatal June Shooting

Victim Shot in Chest at Forest Hills House

by Conor Greene

A U.S Customs agent has been indicted on manslaughter and homicide charges in connection with the shooting death of a man at the officer’s Forest Hills house two months ago.

Eric Alke, who works for the U.S Customs and Border Protection agency and is assigned to Kennedy Airport, was arraigned last Friday on a two-count indictment charging him with second-degree manslaughter and criminal negligent homicide in the shooting death of Adrian Moldovan, a 50-year-old real estate agent.

Alke was being held on $75,000 bail as of Wednesday morning. His attorney, Gerard Marrone, said he expected his client would be able to post bond later that afternoon.

Details of the incident have been sketchy since Moldovan was shot dead in June while helping Alke’s landlord build a patio at 72-07 Kessel Street, where the customs agent lives. Published reports initially stated that Alke told police that Moldovan grabbed the service weapon from the kitchen table and shot himself.

However, when police arrived at the scene following the 3:30 p.m. shooting on June 25, they found Moldovan’s body lying on the driveway. While both the district attorney and Marrone agree that Moldovan was shot with Alke’s .38-caliber Smith & Wesson service weapon, the two sides’ accounts of what happen differ greatly.

Marrone said that Alke arrived home from lunch and offered Moldovan, whom he was “friendly” with, a beer. The customs officer placed his gun, wallet and keys on a shelf inside the apartment and went to get the drink. At that point, he heard the gun go off and ran up the stairs to find Moldovan lying outside the front door.

"My client is adamant that he didn't shoot the gun and that he isn't guilty of anything," said Marrone. "That's a big distinction from what the district attorney's side of the story is, so it looks like there is going to wind up being a trial."

Marrone stressed that he isn’t saying that Moldovan committed suicide, and said that earlier reports that the two men were drinking together in the hours before the incident are incorrect.

There were no witnesses to the shooting, as the landlord was in the backyard at the time, according to Marrone. “My client, it’s my understanding, even called 911,” he said. “As soon as he saw him, he tried to do CPR. When I met him at the precinct, he had blood all over him, even on his face.”

However, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown’s office apparently didn’t believe that version of events, instead charging that Alke “recklessly caused the death of Moldovan by discharging a shot from his .38 caliber revolver, striking Moldovan in the chest and causing his death.”

“As a federal officer trained in the safety and handling of weapons, the defendant should have known better than to draw a gun absent an imminent threat to the safety of himself or others,” said DA Brown. “Sadly, this case is a grim lesson why guns and drinking are a lethal mixture.”

Alke is due back in court on September 3. Marrone said he expects the district attorney’s office to release evidence including the autopsy report at that time. “Once I’m able to look at the reports and really ascertain what the people’s contention is, I can comment more,” he said.

Residents Hope Funding Will Help Reclaim Charles Park's Beauty

By Nicole Turso

Overgrown baseball diamonds, caved in fencing, and crumbling tennis courts are just a few of the dilapidated conditions at Frank Charles Park in Howard Beach desperately in need of renovation and repair, and the reason for which residents and community leaders are championing for change.

Frank Charles Park, 21 acres of land off of Jamaica Bay under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Service (NPS) and Gateway National Recreation, is the premiere park in the Howard Beach area—used by residents of surrounding neighborhoods stretching through Ozone Park for tennis matches, baseball games or a jog.

The park however, is showing its wear and tear.

Upon a quick survey of the park, it is clear that residents have a case. What used to be pristine baseball diamonds in years past now lack definition—weeds and grass cover the base paths. The tennis courts are littered with debris of seashells dropped by area birds, dangerous to the many children who take summer lessons. Dead trees and dying shrubs line the outskirts of the park.

“This park has really deteriorated over the last three years,” local resident and frequenter of Charles Park, Anthony Lasaracina explained. “We aren’t just talking about new ballfields or putting new tennis courts in. Besides that, a lot of these things are maintenance issues.”

And the park has not been without funds. According to Public Affairs Officer Brian Feeney of the NPS, which oversees 26,000 acres of the Gateway National Recreation area, of the $25 million annual budget, $7.5 million is appropriated to the Jamaica Bay Unit, which includes the upkeep of Frank Charles Park.

Additional funding over the past few years also included a $1 million congressional earmark in 2000, petitioned for by The Friends of Charles Park Committee and Congressman Anthony Weiner in which various restoration projects and improvements were made.

Federal funding however, is not the only money being used to update Frank Charles Park; the not-for-profit Friends of Charles Park Committee has also sunk money into the park on a number of occasions. “In the last 13 years we’ve dumped $2.5 million into the park, that’s a lot of money,” said Director of the Friends of Charles Park Committee Dorothy McCloskey. “Two-and- a-half million dollars for a not-for-profit group made up of general citizens made a big difference in the park.”

Five thousand dollars of the money was allocated to digging out and relaying the baseball fields, which have now been included in a capital project along with the tattered tennis courts in yet another congressional earmark of $1 million, this time, facilitated by Congressman Gregory Meeks.

Congressman Meeks met with Gateway General Superintendent Barry Sullivan last week to discuss the park. According to NPS, both the congressman and superintendent agreed the park would proceed with planning a $600,000 turf management program, along with upgrades and repairs to fencing and park benches as part of the $1 million earmark. Maintenance issues were also discussed.

Public Relations Officer Feeney addressed residents concerns over the perceived neglect of duties by the park workers. In an e-mail he writes: “The maintenance workers assigned to Frank Charles Park are dedicated to doing the very best job possible. However, given the 25% reduction in overall staffing that is a result of Gateway’s eroding budget situation, there is only so much that can be done.”

The NPS also explained that additional summer seasonal staff was hired this past year through the National Park Service Centennial Initiative, which have helped with the maintenance situation at Frank Charles Park. They expect additional maintenance help for several more summers.

But the signs of neglect continue, as fencing falls in on the baseball fields, McCloskey explains that the repair will cost at least seven thousand dollars and has been in such a condition for several months. Water fountains and irrigation systems have been turned off because they are in need of repair, and gates taken off of the fields, leaving them vulnerable to after-hours vandalism.

“Nobody is facilitating a comprehensive maintenance plan for all of Gateway National Recreation,” says McCloskey, “At Charles Park, because this is where we live, it’s our worry. In Rockaway, they have the same worries, and they are doing the same kind of fight over at Riis Park and Fort Tilden. We are well aware of the fiscal crisis, but we have to maintain this park.”

McCloskey explained that as the situation rolls on, more residents are getting involved and trying to form additional not-for-profit groups and clubs to maintain the park on a volunteer basis.

“Who’s watching the National Parks Service? The Friends of Charles Park Committee, the community of Howard Beach and its surrounding communities,” McCloskey said, “We are doing the best we can and we are getting the job done.”

Senator Clinton Pushes for Federal Cleanup of Newtown Creek

Superfund Designation Would Provide Federal Funding

by Conor Greene

The federal government should conduct testing at four hotspots along the Newtown Creek to determine whether a federal cleanup effort should move forward, according to U.S Senator Hillary Clinton.

In an August 13 letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, Senator Clinton requests that the agency “use its Superfund authority to conduct preliminary tests at four known hotspots along the Newtown Creek.”

The letter comes just weeks after two local members of congress, Anthony Weiner and Nydia Velazquez, held a press conference calling for the 3.5-mile creek to be named a federal Superfund site. The waterway, which runs east from the East River between Brooklyn and Queens, was polluted by as much as 30 million gallons of oil over 150 years of industrial activity.

“New Yorkers living in communities near Newtown Creek have suffered long enough,” said Senator Clinton. “We know that there are dangerous chemicals in the soil, water and air at sites around the Newtown Creek. It’s time to put the resources of the Superfund program to work to conduct additional tests at known contamination hotspots to see whether a federal cleanup should go forward.”

Clinton notes in the letter that the creek “is well known as one of the most polluted industrial waterways in North America, where chemicals from factories along the bed of the creek have seeped into the soil, sediment and water.” She adds that the issue is “of particular interest” to her as chair of the Superfund and Environmental Health Subcommittee and a member of the Senate’s Environmental and Public Works Committee.

Much of the waterway’s pollution is believed to have occurred as a result of a huge oil spill, which was discovered by the Coast Guard in 1978 and is thought to cover properties on as much as 70 acres in Brooklyn. The oil spill encompasses an area that is one-and-a-half times larger than the site of the Exxon Valdez spill. However, it has never been tested by the EPA for consideration for inclusion in the federal Superfund site.

Under a state remediation plan being carried out by ExxonMobil due to a court order, about 9.4 million gallons of oil have been removed from the area so far. Officials estimate that it will take until 2026 to finish the current remediation effort. While the creek is already a state Superfund site, the federal designation would mean millions of dollars of funding for testing and remediation.

“For years, the residents in the vicinity of Newtown Creek have been forced to live, work and play with toxic fume in the air and contaminated water, soil and sediment on the ground,” wrote Clinton. “This exposure has led to community concern about potential pockets of serious illness... The people of Newtown Creek have suffered long enough.”

Man Strangled During Rent Money Dispute

Richmond Hill Man Charged in Death

by Conor Greene

A man has been charged with strangling his roommate over rent money during an altercation in South Ozone Park, authorities announced this week.

The incident occurred around noon Saturday when the victim, Rae Chisolm, 38, returned to the first-floor apartment at 117-15 124th Street. He had allegedly stolen his roommates’ rent money several weeks ago before fleeing the apartment, and had returned to collect his personal belongings.

He was let back inside the apartment by his two roommates, who were inside the flat with a friend, Rami Hawana, of 104-56 93rd Avenue in Richmond Hill. The men became involved in a fight over the money, which the roommates accused Chisolm of taking weeks prior. During the altercation, Hawana, 22, strangled Chisolm to death, according to authorities.

Hawana, who reportedly studies literature at SUNY Purchase, was arraigned last Sunday in Queens Criminal Court on second-degree murder charges and ordered held on $750,000 bail, according to District Attorney Richard Brown. He was due back in court this Thursday, August 21.

“The defendant, a friend of one of the roommates, allegedly placed the victim in a chokehold to separate him from one of the roommates,” causing Chisolm’s death, according to a spokesman for DA Brown.

A neighbor told the Daily News that Chisolm had returned to the apartment only to find the locks had been changed. He was let inside by one of the roommates before the fatal struggle ensued. The neighbor described Chisolm as a “decent” and “friendly” man who previously worked as a car salesman.

Hawana’s father was quoted in the newspaper as saying, “I feel terrible” at the family’s Richmond Hill house. On Tuesday, Hawana’s attorney, Robert Lucks, declined to comment on the charges, other to say that his client remains in jail pending his next court hearing.

Photo: Rami Hawana is led from a precinct stationhouse by detectives after being arrested on second-degree murder charges.
The Forum Newsgroup/ photo by ROBERT STRIDIRON

Queens Woman Infected with West Nile Virus

CITY’S FIRST TWO HUMAN CASES OF ‘08 REPORTED

by Conor Greene

Two New York residents, including a Queens woman, have tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the first two human cases reported this year, announced city health officials.

A 73-year-old Queens woman was hospitalized last Friday after she was infected by the virus while in the city, according to the city Department of Health. A 60-year-old Bronx man was released from a hospital last week after also becoming infected.

Both individuals became ill in July and were hospitalized in August, according to the DOH. The Queens woman developed encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, and is now recovering in a local hospital, according to the department. The Bronx man developed an inflammation of the brain and spinal tissue (meningitis) as a result of the virus, but has since fully recovered.

DOH officials said the man had recently traveled outside the city, making it difficult to determine where he was infected, but it is believed that the woman was infected while in the city. Citing privacy issues, a DOH spokeswoman this week refused to say where in Queens the woman lives or is believed to have contracted the virus.

“A case of West Nile virus provides an urgent reminder to protect ourselves,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the city’s health commissioner. “Wearing mosquito repellent whenever you are outdoors, and long sleeves and pants in the morning and evening will reduce your risk of contracting the virus. Older New Yorkers need to be especially careful; they are more likely to become seriously ill and die if they are infected.”

Last year, 18 city residents contracted the virus and three died. The DOH warns that each year, the first infections usually don’t occur until August, meaning residents should continue to protect themselves against the threat of infection over the coming weeks.

According to the DOH, a greater number of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus this year compared with 2007. The majority of positive tests were in Queens, where 62 mosquito pools have tested positive for the virus so far this year, compared with 53 all of last year.

In many cases, a West Nile virus infection causes mild or moderate flu-like symptoms, according to the DOH. However, in some cases, particularly in people 50 and older, it can cause serious infection in the brain and spinal cord that can be fatal. The most common symptoms are headache, fever and extreme fatigue.

Residents are reminded to eliminate any standing water from their property and make sure that roof gutters are clean and draining properly. Allowing standing water to accumulate is a violation of the city’s health code.