The list of candidates running for the District 22 seat occupied by Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) is getting longer.

Last week Constantinos “Gus” Prentzas, Community Board 1 member and small business owner, filed paperwork with the New York City Campaign Finance Board and started collecting signatures to get on the September Democratic primary ballot.

With the Senate session winding down in Albany, and about a thousand bills left to debate, the hydrofracking moratorium bill may not even hit the floor for a vote. Most Queens lawmakers oppose allowing the drilling process in New York State without conclusive scientific evidence that it can be done safely, without contaminating groundwater.

The drilling process known as hydrofracking is used to obtain natural gas from rock formations, such as the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from New York’s Southern Tier to West Virginia. Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of water along with a slurry of sand and about 600 chemicals into a narrow horizontal pipe at high pressure to induce “mini-earthquakes,” which release the natural gas.

They came from across the borough on Tuesday afternoon to show their patriotism and win a chance to sing at the upcoming US Open Tennis Tournament at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The United States Tennis Association, the national governing body for tennis in this country and the primary promoter of the sport at every level, held its seventh annual US Open casting call for children hoping to perform at the 2013 event.

Born and raised in Woodhaven, Greg Cerar, 31, says organizing a concert at the Forest Park Bandshell has been on his mind since the age of 6.

“I grew up two blocks from there. As a child, my father used to take me there. I would hang out on the stage with my friends. Things just developed and I’m finally able to do it,” Cerar said.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) dropped out of the race for Queens borough president last Friday.

The move follows the Queens County Democratic Organization’s endorsement 11 days earlier of Melinda Katz, a former city councilwoman and state assemblywoman, for the job.

(BPT) - Whether you’re being treated for a minor injury or undergoing major surgery, it’s likely you’ll encounter not just one, but a team of health care professionals. While having multiple professionals working to provide you with the highest quality and safest care eases some fear, it also can cause confusion. When undergoing a surgery or procedure, it is important to truly know and understand who is providing your care.

The newest and most controversial candidate in the mayoral race, Anthony Weiner, said he knows he’s got a lot to prove but believes New Yorkers will be looking forward when choosing the next mayor this fall.

“We’re making a big mistake if we think that voters are looking to the past,” Weiner said in a sitdown last Friday with the Queens Chronicle staff, the first of his candidacy. “When they go to flip that switch, it is a fundamental, forward-looking, aspirational thing.”

The new City Council map is officially final.

The NYC Districting Commission said that the final stage in certifying the map was completed on May 20 whenthe U.S. Department of Justice precleared the commission'splan to map out the city’s51 Council districts.

The already crowded Democratic primary race for the 19th Council District recently grew by one, with the addition of civic activist and former chief of staff to embattled Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) Chrissy Voskerichian.

The 51-year-old touts what she considers a bevy of experience, both through her work as the co-founder of the Station Road Civic Association, president of the 109th Precinct Community Council, and yes, the time spent in Halloran’s office.

As in previous years, Flushing House has scheduled three “Elder Law Seminars” for the Spring of 2013. The seminars will focus on how the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Re-Design in New York State may impact health care and home care services for older adults. Medicare changes arising from the ACA will also be explored, as well as asset protection trusts and estate planning.

Maria Alvarez, executive director, NY StateWide Senior Action Council, will give the first seminar on Saturday, June 1. Her talk is about the entire range of beneficiary issues i.e., how changes to coverage through Medicare, Managed Care and Medicaid, under the new rules of ACA and Medicaid Re-Design, will impact the scope, choice and delivery of benefits and services for older adults. Joining Alvarez is Eric Hausman, Independent Consultant specializing in Medicare Education and Training. Lani Sanjek, a former top official with StateWide, will also join the discussion.

If you’re one of the estimated 50 million Americans who suffer from allergies to pollen, Dr. Brian Novick, medical director at the Allergy Testing Center, a division of ProHealth Care Associates, in Forest Hills, may be able to offer some relief.

While the doctor treats patients with food, animal, skin and insect allergies, this time of year the overwhelming issue seems to be hay fever, which, the doctor points out, “has nothing to do with hay and nothing to do with fever.”

Artist Felix Sherman loves quoting Picasso, who said, as an older artist, that he had tried his whole life to paint like a child and now he finally could.

Sherman can relate.

Though people experiencing many different symptoms come to her office, the majority of patients seen by Dr. Ellen Edgar of Complete Neurological Care in Forest Hills suffer from recurring headaches or migraines.

“We have a good success rate in helping patients with headaches,” the doctor says, adding that they “usually feel better after two or three weeks. They see a big difference.”

Deputy Inspector Miltiadis Marmara, commanding officer of the NYPD’s 113th Precinct, found it very difficult to talk about plummeting crime statistics on Monday night.

“Every statistic is a person, or someone’s property,” he said. “Or someone’s 14-year-old daughter.”

The race for mayor of New York City took a long-expected turn last night when Anthony Weiner, the former city councilman and congressman from Forest Hills, entered the contest with an announcement posted on YouTube.

Weiner, who quit the House two years ago after sending lewd photos of himself to young women across the country via social media and then lying to the public about doing so for two weeks, said he had made big mistakes in his life but is looking for a second chance.

“This is a totally obvious statement, but being the mayor of the City of New York is a tough job, and people need to make sure they have somebody who’s tough enough to lead, but smart enough to listen and to lead in a collaborative way.”

That’s how City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) responded to the first question asked of her during an interview last Thursday with the Queens Chronicle editorial board: the old standard, “What makes you the best candidate?”

The Queens County Democratic Party on Monday announced its endorsements three three citywide candidates, as well as its pick to be Borough Hall’s next occupant.

The borough’s Dems, led by Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, Bronx), are backing former Councilwoman Melinda Katz for borough president, Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) for mayor, Resham Saujani for public advocate and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer for comptroller.

Inez Hawkins, president of the PTA at PS 52 in Springfield Gardens, had a direct message for the NYPD and the city Department of Transportation at a community meeting on Tuesday.

“We don’t want our children getting killed,” she said.

(NAPSI)—When vacation time comes and kids have more free time, there could be good news for parents searching for interesting and unique activities.

(NAPSI)—In surprising ways, American youngsters and their parents are helping children half a world away stay in school.

Millions of consumers will be faced with a choice to enroll in one of four different Obamacare “metal plans,” on Oct. 1. The metal plans are new categories of health insurance - nicknamed “metal” because each plan is named after a metal - created by the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare.

The Queens County Democratic Party on Monday announced its endorsements for three citywide candidates, as well as its pick to be Borough Hall’s next occupant.

Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the United States today. Each year, nearly 2.5 million Americans are treated in hospital emergency departments as a result of an MVA. While the numbers are staggering, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Trauma Team is dedicated to decreasing the number of these preventable injuries through education, research and community outreach.

Jamaica Hospital operates a Level 1 Trauma Center, the highest designation to treat critically injured patients. Last year, Jamaica Hospital’s ERtreated more than 500 patients injured as a result of motor vehicle accidents and the staffwants to offer the following tip to our community on how to avoid serious injury:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is close to approving a new bus route that would offer more direct service to LaGuardia Airport while cutting the existing Q33 route short to focus more on neighborhood riders.

The proposed Q70 Limited line — “a new faster and more direct route to LaGuardia” — would run from transit hubs in Woodside and Jackson Heights along the 7 subway line on Roosevelt Avenue and provide a shorter link with the airport.

The state Health Department has approved Mount Sinai Hospital’s expansion project in Long Island City.

Plans for the $115 million construction of a new five-story annex include a primary care clinic, an expanded emergency department with 36 treatment wards, eight observation beds and 10 operating rooms. The addition of primary care allows the 235-bed LIC hospital on 30th Avenue to become a more one-stop shop, according to the executive summary.