Stories from Jamaica, Springfield Gardens, Hollis, Queens Village, St. Albans, Laurelton, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, and South Ozone Park

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A Jamaica teen died May 11 of a gunshot wound to the head and her killing remains under investigation with no arrests yet, the NYPD Tuesday night. Three men who were captured on surveillance footage video are wanted in connection with the crime.

The first suspect is described as having a dark complexion, slim build and is approximately 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall. He was last seen wearing a white mask, and a black and gray-hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and white sneakers, according to police. The second suspect has a light complexion, slim build, is approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a black mask, gray-hooded sweatshirt, dark-colored sweatpants and red sneakers. The last suspect has a medium complexion and build, and he is approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a black mask, navy hooded sweatshirt, black pants and black-and-white sneakers.

Students at PS 135, above, in Queens Village started a green team and created an indoor garden at their school five months ago. On Wednesday, May 17, the elementary school kids showed off the culmination of their work to their teachers, parents, the Departments of Education and Sanitation and Councilwoman Linda Lee.

The hydroponic gardens had lettuce, stevia, bok choy and strawberries. Smaller aeroponic gardens had basil, dill, thyme, chives and oregano. Guests received salads from the farmstand in cartons and several sustainable items — stainless steel straws, bamboo cutlery and seeds — in gift bags. Read more

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After months of negotiating, the City Council and Mayor Adams have reached an agreement to make outdoor cafes low-cost and nearly year-round fixtures citywide.

Breeana Mulligan, a spokeswoman for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica), said by creating a permanent outdoor dining program the Council has created more opportunities for restaurateurs to cut through red tape so they can benefit from sidewalk cafes. Read more

School initiatives were the top priority of constituents in City Council District 27 for this year’s participatory budgeting process, according to Councilwoman Nantasha Williams’ (D-St. Albans) office.

Four schools will get a total of $1 million in taxpayer funds for upgrades after 1,277 votes were cast from March 25 to April 2, Williams’ spokeswoman told the Chronicle last Friday. Read more

Thursday, May 25, 2023
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The presidents of New York City’s three public library systems testified last week to state the impacts that proposed $36.2 million budget cuts would have on service and operations.

It was the first time Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson, Queens Public Library President Dennis Walcott and New York Public Library President Tony Marx spoke publicly since Mayor Adams partially restored some library funding in the 2024 executive budget plan. Read more

Primary election candidates for Queens district attorney and City Council Districts 19, 20 and 29 joined the Asian Wave Alliance on Sunday to discuss issues of special relevance to the communities they hope to represent.

Among the most pressing topics discussed were the citywide increase in crime, ubiquitous illegal smoke shops and NYC’s steady influx of asylum-seeking immigrants. Read more

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It may not be the weight of the world, but the weight of the world’s greatest city is slowly submerging the land around it, geologists have found.

“A deeply concentrated population of 8.4 million people faces varying degrees of hazard from inundation in New York City,” says the paper, written by three University of Rhode Island oceanologists and a researcher from the US Geological Survey. Read more

New York City restaurants may soon be required to put their trash in secure containers.

A new proposal from the Department of Sanitation puts forth that, in addition to waiting until 8 p.m. or an hour before closing to take out the garbage, food-related businesses will be required to put trash out for collection in containers with tight-fitting lids. Read more

Residents of Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Hills were treated to jazz with the blues on May 11 as the NYPD Jazz Band performed in concert.

A dozen of the finest musicians and singers with New York’s Finest entertained residents in what Margaret Tietz officials called “an extraordinary day” with music and sing-along numbers. Read more

The United Federation of Teachers rallied in all five boroughs Wednesday for a fair contract in the wake of the 2019-22 agreement’s expiration in September.

Queens UFT members met outside Borough Hall to demand new contract negotiations that compensate them for their tireless work to meet students’ needs, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more

Tuesday, May 23, 2023
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A single swipe of a MetroCard is likely to go up 15 cents by September, based on a report presented to the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday.

Jai Patel, the MTA’s deputy chief financial officer, told board members that fare revenues would increase 4 percent, as opposed to the 5.5 percent projected back in December. Bridge and tunnel toll increases will remain at 5.5 percent. Read more

Monday, May 22, 2023
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A single swipe of a MetroCard is likely to go up 15 cents by September, based on a report presented to the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday.

Jai Patel, the MTA’s deputy chief financial officer, told board members that fare revenues would increase 4 percent, as opposed to the 5.5 percent projected back in December. Bridge and tunnel toll increases will remain at 5.5 percent. Read more

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For Mental Health Awareness Month, state Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park) is hosting a self-care workshop on Thursday, May 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Springfield Gardens Church of the Nazarene, located at 145-01 Farmers Blvd. in Jamaica. 

Sanders told the Queens Chronicle via email that mental health is a huge and growing concerning at all levels of society.  Read more

Thursday, May 18, 2023
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The city will continue to use school gyms as emergency shelter sites as long as migrants continue to arrive, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom said in a press conference regarding the asylum seeker crisis on Wednesday.

“The city shelter capacity is full and we have exhausted options for traditional shelter sites for the migrants,” said Williams-Isom, who was joined by Dr. Ted Long, senior vice president for ambulatory care and population health at New York City Health + Hospitals, the only other official in the briefing. Read more

The leader of a gang was found guilty of murder in-aid-of racketeering by a federal jury in Brooklyn on May 9, and could face a mandatory term of life in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York.

Christopher Acevedo, 28, of Jamaica, the leader and founder of the Wood City gang, also known as the Yellow Tape Boyz, was found guilty on May 9 of killing a rival in the Snow Gang over jewelry that was stolen from a high-ranking associate in his organization, prosecutors said. Read more

One of two men wanted in connection with a homicide from nine months ago was arrested within the confines of the 103rd Precinct last Wednesday.

Damion Howell, 39, of Auburndale, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a loaded firearm on May 10 for the alleged murder of Julian Askew, 29, at 106-17 Waltham St. in Jamaica, last year, according to the NYPD. Read more

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A former police officer from upstate New York will be sentenced Wednesday for providing protection to members of a prostitution ring who were sex trafficking women from Queens to Brewster, a village in Putnam County.

Wayne Peiffer pleaded guilty, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Read more

After much urging from Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), the United States Postal Service is making more improvements to mailboxes in order to curb mail theft.

The USPS announced last Thursday that in addition to installing 12,000 new, more secure collection boxes nationwide, 49,000 mailboxes will be retrofitted with electronic locks, among other changes. Read more

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A teenage girl died after being ejected from a BMW on Wednesday night.

Fortune Williams, 14, was in a high-speed collision at the intersection of North Conduit Avenue and 160th Street in Springfield Gardens, a NYPD spokesman told the Queens Chronicle. Police responded to the accident after receiving a call at 6:39 p.m. and EMS declared the young girl, who was from Brookville, dead at the scene.  Read more