COVER TEMPLATE.indd - Queens Press | Southeast Queens News

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COVER TEMPLATE.indd - Queens Press | Southeast Queens News
Volume 15 Issue No. 22 May 30-June 5, 2014
PRESS Photo by Jordan Gibbons
BACK OFF
Councilman Ruben Wills called
a special press conference to
defend his record and to demand
that Attorney General Eric
Schneiderman be removed from
the case against him.
By Jordan Gibbons … Page 3.
ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSPRESS.COM
Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
News Briefs
Queens Library Joins
Initiative In South Jamaica
To Improve Reading
The Pinkerton Foundation has
provided a grant of $152,000 to the
Queens Library to serve as an anchor
site for the Neighborhood Literacy
Initiative in South Jamaica. The initiative aims to improve reading and
educational outcomes in areas where
reading levels are below standard
and poverty levels are high.
The grant will keep Queens Library in South Jamaica open on Saturdays for the 2014-2015 school year.
It will also pay for a full-time dedicated children’s librarian and support activity assistants at libraries in
South Jamaica and Baisley Park.
Queens Library will also facilitate
among the neighborhood schools
and other literacy programs working
in the community, to provide a continuum of support for children, parents, schools and other community
stakeholders.
“We believe the literacy initiative
has the potential to make a significant impact on two communities that
are plagued with high poverty and
extremely low literacy rates,” Rick
Smith, president of The Pinkerton
Foundation, said. “Collaboration is
the key to success. By expanding and
coordinating a ladder of programs
that employ health care providers,
senior citizens, college students and
parent mentors, librarians and other
trained professionals, the initiative
hopes to inspire a culture of literacy
in South Jamaica.”
“Queens Library offers programs
and services that support education
for all ages and all learning levels.
In addition to supporting the goals
of the Neighborhood Literacy Initiative, we offer programs such as English for Speakers of Other Languages
and high school equivalency preparation to other members of the household,” Thomas Galante, Queens Library president and CEO, said. “We
are very appreciative to The Pinkerton Foundation for making this pilot
program possible.
Police Arrest Man For
Stealing Breeders’ Cup
Police have cuffed the man responsible for stealing the Breeders’
Cup from Aqueduct Racetrack.
Cops arrested Francisco Lo Bello,
a 57-year-old Caucasian male, for taking the 1985 Breeders’ Cup trophy.
It went missing on Feb. 20 and police said Lo Bello confessed to the
crime on May 21.
Along with the trophy, which was
on the second floor office in the
Racetrack, two laptops, a flat screen
TV and a monitor also went missing
from the facility.
A police source said Lo Bello appeared to be homeless and stayed
near the Racetrack often.
“He probably knows it like the
back of his hand,” the source said,
discussing his familiarity with the
Racetrack.
The law enforcement source said
they have not actually retrieved the
trophy and the other items taken
from the facility, but they will work
with Lo Bello to find the stolen
equipment.
Lo Bello’s rap sheet includes
criminal trespassing at Aqueduct
Racetrack earlier this year and larceny, which also occurred this year.
Aqueduct hosted the 1985 Breeders’ Cup, which was won by a horse
named Proud Truth.
Ferry Demonstration
Stalls In The Mud
A Seastreak ferry transporting
Rockaway business owners had to be
rescued on Wednesday in Jamaica
Bay, when the ferry got stuck in the
mud during a public relations trip to
secure more service for the area, authorities said.
The business owners were planning to talk during the trip about
getting more ferry service and how
more stops could help stimulate the
area affected by Superstorm Sandy.
The 65-foot-long ferry got stuck in
a shallow part of the bay near Kennedy Airport around 12:15 p.m., authorities said.
A nearby FDNY boat attempted
to push the ferry loose, but was not
successful. Rescue boats were called
to take the 25 passengers to a pier
at Beach 116th Street in Rockaway
Park.
Eventually the tide freed the ferry
and carried the craft off the mud.
No one was harmed throughout
the estimated two hours.
Brief Us!
Mail your
news brief items to:
PRESS of
Southeast Queens,
150-50 14th Rd.,
Whitestone, NY
11357
May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3
Presstime
Ruben Wills Requests Special Prosecutor
At a press conference Wednesday
morning, Councilman Ruben Wills’
(D-Jamaica) attorney, Steve Zissou,
said they will file a motion to have
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman removed from the pending
case against him and replaced with a
special prosecutor.
Zissou and Sally Butler, counsel
for former State Sen. Shirley Huntley, questioned Schneiderman’s
intentions in the indictment and
claimed the Attorney General’s office released misinformation to tarnish Wills’ name and reputation.
“We don’t think he’s capable of
being fair and impartial to this case,”
Zissou said.
On May 7, Wills was arrested and
charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud,
first-degree falsifying business records and first-degree offering a false
instrument for filing, according to
the indictment by the Attorney General’s office. If convicted of the grand
larceny charge, Wills could serve up
to seven years in prison.
Butler said that Schneiderman is
up for re-election and wants to control the votes in Southeast Queens.
In a prepared statement, Wills alleged that the Attorney General’s office
Photo by Jordan Gibbons
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
Counselor Sally Butler, Councilman Ruben Wills and Counselor Steve Zissou
spoke to the press on Wednesday.
asked him to wear a wiretap on several
occasions to entrap his colleagues and
he told them no each time.
“After the grand jury was convened, the Attorney General’s office
told me to cooperate and do a Nelson Castro and they would disband
the grand jury, send those good
people home and the pending indictment would go away,” he said. “Because I refused, again, the Attorney
General proceeded with his side of
the story.”
In 2012, law enforcement authori-
ties conducted a judicially-authorized
wiretap of Huntley’s cell phone,
which revealed evidence of her participation in three criminal schemes.
Under the direction of the federal
government, Huntley recorded meetings with nine individuals; six of
whom were elected officials.
After her indictment in August
2012 for embezzling more than
$87,000 of taxpayer money from
a bogus nonprofit, Huntley was
stripped of her positions and committee rankings in State Senate. Last
year, she pled guilty to the charges
and was sentenced to one year and
one day in prison.
A representative from Schneiderman’s office brushed off the allegations from the councilman.
“The people of New York expect
and deserve a government that serves
their interests and fights to ensure
there is one set of rules for everyone,
which is why Attorney General Schneiderman has prosecuted more than
40 individuals in public corruption
cases,” Matt Mittenthal, a spokesman
for Schneiderman, said. “He is committed to rooting out public corruption wherever it exists and will follow
the evidence wherever it leads.”
When asked about the allegations
he is facing, Wills pointed to the
work his nonprofits have done to
help single mothers and fathers in
his district.
“This is reaching over 2,000 people in Southeast Queens and abroad,”
he said. “This is not a sham. How did
I steal money?”
Wills and Zissou did not respond
directly to the various charges.
“The allegations will be answered
in court, not here today,” Zissou
said.
Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at
(718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or jgibbons@
queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.
Airport Workers Demand Higher Pay
Airport workers made their message loud and clear last week: they
want to be paid a living wage.
To make sure they got their point
across, hundreds of workers from both
John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports marched into the headquarters
of Aviation Safeguard, a contractor
who hires airline workers, and delivered a letter demanding better pay.
Last Wednesday, the Port Authority board unanimously voted to raise
wages for workers at JFK, LaGuardia
and Newark airports. This allows the
agency to change current agreements
with airline companies to raise their
salary by $1 per hour and to change
the wage to $10.10 by the end of next
year.
Workers that are part of SEIU
32BJ, the local union that represents
airport workers, staged a protest
throughout May so that companies
like Aviation Safeguard will comply
with the new policy.
Photo by Luis Gronda
BY LuIS GRONDA
Airport workers gathered last week to protest low wages.
At last Thursday’s protest in Kew
Gardens, a large group of workers
made a surprise visit to Aviation’s
Queens office to deliver the letter.
Chants of “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
echoed through the lobby of 80-02
Kew Gardens Road.
They were immediately met by
the building’s security guards, who
demanded that they leave and take
their protest outside. There was no
violence at this protest, but the guards
were emphatic that the group would
not be going up to Aviation’s offices
and asked them to leave repeatedly.
Across the street from the building, airport workers gathered in a
circle to continue their protest. They
expressed their dismay for their current salary situation.
Michael Maragh, a LaGuardia
Airport employee at Terminal B, said
people in other states make a good
salary working at an airport, and the
same needs to happen in New York.
“It’s impossible. Luckily, my wife is
also working. I need a proper wage,”
said Maregh, who makes $8 an hour
working 40 hours a week. “Even at
$15-per-hour, we cannot stop there.
Nobody at the airport should be
working under $20-per-hour.”
Juan Chapman, who is a security
guard at LaGuardia, said they have
been airport employees for many years
and they have to remain committed to
protesting for a higher salary.
“A right is not something someone should give to us, a right is something that nobody can take away,” he
said in Spanish. “There is no employer that has the right to condemn our
families to a life of poverty.”
Aviation Safeguard did not respond to requests for comment by
press time.
Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at
(718) 357-7400, Ext. 127, lgronda@
queenstribune.com, or @luisgronda.
Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
LgBt activists Block concert in Jamaica
A Queen Ifrica performance
scheduled for last Saturday at Amazura Concert Hall in Jamaica was
cancelled after a protest at the venue.
On Friday, Councilman Daniel
Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) joined
Caribbean Alliance and Jamaica
Anti Homophobia Stand, along with
a representative for Councilman
Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), in calling for Amazura to remove Queen
Ifrica from the concert.
Queen Ifrica is a Jamaican rapper whose lyrics are riddled with
homophobic slurs and hate speech.
Most infamously, during a 2010 performance, she said, “we not going to
legalize any faggotism in Jamaica.”
In August of last year, Canada
withdrew a work permit for Queen Ifrica due to her homophobic speech.
“Queen Ifrica’s words help create a climate where human rights
violations against LGBT Jamaicans
are rampant,” said Dwayne Brown,
founder of Jamaica Anti Homophobia Stand. “Such promotion of hate
music and its creator Queen Ifrica
is unacceptable and not welcome in
New York.”
Violence
against
in 2014 have to show
LGBT Jamaicans in
up at a place like this, a
2013 alone included
club, and condemn one
the murder of teenager
of the artists because
Dwayne Long Jones,
of her homophobia,”
the mobbing of a gay
Dromm said. “This type
couple’s household and
of hate speech leads to
the fatal stabbing of a
violence against our
41-year -old and burning
[LGBT] community …
of his house, among a
All decent people must
slew of other beatings,
stand up against this.”
attacks and murders.
Amazura
and
John Rios, manager
Queen Ifrica’s proof Amazura, came outmoter decided on Satside to speak with the
urday morning to regroup during the promove the rapper from
test. Although Dromm’s
the concert.
office had previously councilman dromm joined Jamaican activists last week in protesting
As a result of this
contacted
Amazura’s Queen ifrica’s performance at amazura concert Hall in Jamaica, protest, Rios said that
booking agent, Rios said Queens.
he will reexamine his
that this protest was the
booking process in
first he was hearing of Queen Ifrica’s State liquor licenses require busi- the future.
homophobia.
“[There are] questions that I
nesses to protect customers from
Rios was initially wary of losing discrimination, Rios called Queen will definitely bring up next time
business.
Ifrica’s promoter to ask for her re- around,” Rios said. “It’s just a mat“I have a [lot] of employees I have moval from the concert.
ter of me talking to the promoters,
to pay, and that they rely on this
The rapper would “leave a bad figuring out who is coming, and a
job,” he said. “It’s a business, right? taste in Amazura’s mouth,” Rios ex- clearer idea of the types who will be
Somebody came to me, they wanted plained. A decision was not made on performing.”
the venue, I rented it out to them.”
Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge
the spot.
However, after several minutes
Rios added, “I’m a straight-up at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, jstrawof discussion with the activists, and New Yorker, I’m not anti-gay.”
[email protected] or @JNafter Dromm noted that New York
“To me it’s outrageous that we still Strawbridge.
Photo by Jackie Strawbridge
By Jackie StrawBridge
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May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 5
100 Years Later, Tombstones For Civil War Vets
“It was a Memorial Day over a
century in the making.”
That is how Sean Walsh described
his holiday weekend, as he was able
to bury two of his great grandfathers
who fought in the Civil War at the
Cemetery of the Evergreens in Ridgewood.
Walsh’s great grandfathers, John
Charles Walsh and Charles Louis
Haniquet, were both honored with
marked tombstones on top of their
graves last Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
They were among many unmarked
graves at that cemetery because not
enough information was known about
them prior to last week.
Walsh traced back to his two ancestors after finding a family Bible in the
garbage of his grandparents’ house in
Florida. The Bible is 165 years old and
it got the ball rolling in finding out the
eventual burial place for the ancestors.
According to a press release about
the ceremony, through the five years
of research Walsh conducted, he
found that John Charles Walsh enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 for two
years and was promoted twice, first
to second lieutenant, then to first
lieutenant in New York’s 28th infantry. He fought in prestigious battles,
such as the Battle of Antietam, and
was discharged in 1863.
Haniquet was also in the Union
Army, enlisting in 1863, weeks before
the Draft Riots that almost destroyed
Manhattan. He received his full pension for serving in the military after
discharging and worked for the City
for 20 years after that.
Walsh said that it was very difficult to find information about Haniquet because several documents had
his name misspelled during that time,
but he was eventually able to find a
boatload about Haniquet’s life.
“But when I found it, it was a goldmine,” he said.
Page 6 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
Editorial
OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS
150-50 14th Road
Whitestone, NY 11357
(voice) (718) 357-7400
fax (718) 357-9417
email [email protected]
The PRESS of Southeast Queens
Editor-in-Chief:
Steven J. Ferrari
Contributing Editor:
Marcia Moxam
Comrie
Production Manager:
Shiek Mohamed
Time To Take Responsibility
Over the course of the last week, there have been a lot of
denials going around.
As we approach the trials of State Sen. Malcolm Smith and
former Councilman Dan Halloran – scheduled to start next week
in Federal Court – the battle in the court of public opinion has
already started. Both men have made a point of finding new ways
to declare their lack of guilt in various media reports. And just
weeks after being arrested on fraud charges connected to his
nonprofit, Councilman Ruben Wills took to the media to assert
once again that he is being unfairly targeted by a State Attorney
General looking to grab headlines in an election year.
But the court of public opinion is not the one these officials
should be concerned with. While they clearly needed constituents
on their side when wooing voters, the assertions of innocence
sent out to various media outlets will do them no good when they
finally appear in front of a judge and jury.
We understand the desire to defend oneself when accusations
of impropriety strike, but the fates of these men – and several others – are no longer in the hands of voters. Whether or not these
men are innocent, the courts will determine their fates.
Queens Today Editor
Regina Vogel
Reporters:
Jordon Gibbons
Joe Marvilli
Luis Gronda
Jackie Strawbridge
Art Dept:
Rhonda Leefoon
Lianne Procanyn
Barbara Townsend
Maureen Coppola
Advertising Director
Shanie Persaud
Director Corporate
Accounts/Events
Advertising Executives
Shari Strongin
Brenda Jones
A Queens Tribune
Publication
© Copyright 2014
Tribco, LLC
Michael Nussbaum
Publisher
Ria McPherson
Comptroller
Letters
Disturbing
Housing Goals
To The Editor:
Mayor Bill de Blasio plans
on creating 200,000 units of
affordable housing over the
next 10 years in the City of
New York. We need more affordable housing in our City,
however, some of the steps that
he and other officials will be
taking to accomplish this goal
are disturbing.
The Mayor and others feel
that legalizing some illegally
Letters
converted basement apartments and other units is one
great way to produce more
affordable housing. What
impact will they have on local
neighborhoods whose infrastructure was not designed to
take on an unexpected increase
in population? Our schools
are already overcrowded and
parking is at a premium in
most areas. Will these new
units truly be affordable when
the rent charged for them is
homeowner determined?
Also, legalizing illegally
converted units will negate
our rezonings that have been
accomplished through the hard
work of civic associations and
community boards over the
past several years. The character of our communities will
change, and I believe not in a
positive way. In fact, when you
read what is being proposed,
upzoning to allow for more
dense development and taller
buildings is a big part of the
picture in the Mayor’s plan.
This would happen all over
the city. Deputy Mayor for
Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen stated,
“To become a more affordable
city, we must become a denser
city.” City Planning Commission Chair Carl Weisbrod is
also supporting the Mayor’s
proposals. I do not think that
these people understand the
concerns and viewpoints of the
everyday taxpayers, especially
here in Queens.
Call or write your council
member, assembly member
and State senator and tell
them that you do not want
illegally converted units legalized, you don’t want the
rezonings tampered with and
that you oppose upzoning in
general.
We can get more units of
affordable housing by requiring builders of new projects
in appropriately zoned areas
to set aside a higher percentage of those units for that
purpose. We can preserve
many existing vacant buildings by using them for working class people, seniors and
veterans who can not afford
high rents. The empty “T”
building in central Queens
is a perfect example of this
type of situation.
We have to speak out and
now is the time to do so.
Henry Euler,
Bayside
A Literary Giant Will Live On Through Her Gifts
A Personal Perspective
BY MARCIA MOXAM
COMRIE
Our nation – indeed our
world – has lost one of its
greatest literary voices.
Maya Angelou, the phenomenal woman who grew
from the child mute by perceived necessity to a woman
who eloquently told her story
of rape, racism, teen motherhood and triumph has now
been silenced by death.
But while death has now silenced the woman, her literary
voice outlives her in perpetuity
through her interviews, readings and films. There is no
muting what she gave to the
world in countless poems and
seven autobiographies, starting with the seminal “I Know
Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Anyone who has not read this
1970 gem has a serious gap in
their reading list.
Her authorial voice was
among the finest that the
last century had to offer. Her
poetry empowered women,
children and anyone who
needed saving. She belongs
in the American literary pantheon with Langston Hughes,
Gwendolyn Brooks, Zora
Neale Hurston, Robert Frost,
e.e. cummings and the other
greats of the 20th century.
Raised in Stamps, Ark.,
under Jim Crow tyranny, Angelou would grow up to mold
her pain into her artistry. Not
only was she one of the most
respected persons of letters
of her generation, she turned
the pain of racial rejection,
childhood rape and poverty
into grist for her artistry as
poet, author, dancer, actor,
director and professor. As
President Clinton said, she
was, “a national treasure.”
Maya Angelou was a seeker
and a dreamer. She sought,
found and dispersed truth and
her legions of admirers, who
ran the gamut from paupers
to presidents, entertainers to
scholars, all learned from her.
One of the nuggets I embraced
from her several years ago
has become part of who I am.
“Find the good and praise it,”
she admonished us.
If we heed the advice those
six little words disperse, we will
be the better for it. We tend to
only see the bad in people. We
find the bad and focus on that.
If we instead find and praise
the beauty in people’s spirit,
work and personality we not
only empower them to be better humans, we feel better for
having enhanced someone else
with a small compliment.
Dr. Angelou was among a
slowly-dwindling cast of powerhouse talents who used their
talents as writers, performers
and artists as tools for social
activism that created the Black
Arts Movement of the 1960s
and 1970s. Angelou was inspired by her friendships with
Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. and Nelson Mandela
and was as committed to the
cause of civil rights as were the
trifecta of rights activists she
so admired.
As testament to her reach
beyond borders and the social
fences that would separate us,
Sir Ronald Sanders in “Caribbean View,” talks about Angelou’s poem, “We the People
on a Small Planet” recited at
the United Nations’ 50th Anniversary celebration.
“A remarkable American
voice has been stilled,” he says.
“And we are all poorer for it.
Maya Angelou put into prose
and poetry the emotions felt
by other people about events
that touch us all.”
Sir Sanders is right about
everything except that Maya
was “an American voice.” She
was a gift without borders.
Her reach transcends race,
creed, gender and geographic
distinctions.
Maya Angelou was here
and she made it known. Her
work here is done, but it lives
on after her.
And to paraphrase from
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “Good
night, sweet poet, and flights of
angels sing thee to thy rest.”
May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7
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Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
Make Kid’s Dream Come True
BY LUIS GRONDA
Robbie Twible got to meet his favorite baseball player.
Robbie, a 12-year-old boy suffering
from Epidermolysis Bullosa, achieved
one of his dreams last week, walking
on Citi Field and meeting New York
Mets third baseman David Wright.
Epidermolysis Bullosa is a rare
condition that causes the skin to have
blisters all over the body, depending
on its severity. The condition usually
affects infants or young children and
there is no cure for it. [Editor’s note:
see sidebar]. Robbie’s parents said he
usually has to wear long shirts and
pants, especially during the summer
months, to protect his skin from the
sun.
Robbie, who attends W.T. Clarke
Middle School in Long Island, was
elated as he was led to the field to
meet his favorite star player during
batting practice before the May 22
game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wright autographed batting gloves,
baseballs, caps and one of his very
own bats for Robbie and his family to
take home.
Another one of Robbie’s dreams is
to appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres
Show.”
When asked what he likes about
the talk show host, Robbie said, “She
inspires me.”
While chatting with Wright on the
field, he asked the slugger if he could
help him get on her show.
“If I ever come across her, I’ll let
her know,” Wright said.
Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson
also paid Robbie a visit to take pictures and sign autographs. He told
Robbie to give them that little extra
boost they need to win that night’s
game.
“You gotta get us a win today. No
pressure,” Granderson said.
His parents, Robert and Kathy,
were both thrilled with the experience
of watching their son meet his favorite
ball player.
“I’m so taken back, I really am,”
Kathy said. “I never even imagined
that he would get this close. I didn’t
expect him to come over like that.
That was amazing.”
Robbie has to go back to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital next month
for another surgery related to the ail-
In addition to meeting Wright, Robbie also shook hands with Curtis Granderson (left).
ment, his mother said. It is the closest
hospital to New York that can treat
his condition, she said.
Wright eventually said goodbye to
return to batting practice, but he had
one final message for the 12-year-old.
“If we win tonight, I might have
to have you out more often,” he said,
which drew smiles and laughter from
Robbie and his family.
The Mets won that night’s game,
5-3. Wright and Granderson both had
a pair of hits in the victory.
Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at (718)
357-7400, Ext. 127, [email protected], or @luisgronda.
David Wright (left) signs autographs for Robbie Twible. Robbie (right) takes
a photo during batting practice.
What Is Epidermolysis Bullosa?
Photos by Luis Gronda
Robbie Twible (bottom left) and his family pose for a photo with David Wright.
His sister Alison holds two baseballs signed by the Mets slugger.
Epidermolysis Bullosa is an illness which causes fragile skin. The
disease occurs from mutations in
any one of 18 genes in the DNA
code. The fragile skin causes blisters
when a person experiences the slightest friction or trauma.
EB affects both genders and is
not specific to any race or ethnic
background. According to debra.
org, about 200 children are born
with EB each year. These children
are known as “butterfly children”
because their skin is as fragile as the
wings of a butterfly. There are about
30,000 people in the U.S. who have
EB, which is a hereditary disease. A
doctor usually diagnoses EB by observing a sample of the skin under a
microscope.
There are different levels of EB.
Those with mild EB develop blisters
that can be painful to live with, but
the blisters do not deface the body.
Severe forms of EB causes the internal organs of the body, such as the
mouth, bladder and esophagus, to
blister as well as the outer parts of
the body. Severe forms of EB may
also result in disfigurement, disability and the possibility of death before
the age of 30.
The other manifestations of EB
are anemia, cardiomyopathy, malnourishment, constipation, difficulty swallowing and osteoporosis.
Although there is no cure for EB,
research on EB has focused on ways
to heal the blister wounds as well as
ways to correct the genes related to
EB.
- Esther Shittu
May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9
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Celebrate over 50 years of
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and many more, by the
original twister.
Doors open at 7 pm.
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Saturday, June 28
Performances by Melba Moore,
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of Labelle, Maxine Nightingale,
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110-00 Rockaway Blvd. Jamaica, NY 11420
rwnewyork.com • 1-888-888-8801
In Queens, near JFK Airport.
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Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
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May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 11
Memorial Day Remembrance
Greeting At The Meeting
Photo by Walter Karling
Photo by Luis Gronda
During the annual membership meeting of the Greater Jamaica
Downtown Association last week, staffers greeted meeting attendees.
Pictured (from left) are Charlene Joseph, Renee Gilroy, Myrna Fraser
and Masheika Lewis.
Banner Day
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz
and State Sen. James Sanders Jr. stand as the Francis Lewis High School
color guard presented the colors during a Memorial Day ceremony hosted
by Katz at Borough Hall last week.
Photo by Bruce Adler
Hundreds of fans marched along the sidelines of Citi Field on Sunday,
carrying signs supporting the Amazin’s during the annual Banner Day
festivities.
Say No To Violence
Photo by Joe Marvilli
Queens DA Richard Brown, the USTA and the New York Junior Tennis
And Learning, last week hosted more than 800 Far Rockaway public
school students at the 17th annual “Say Yes to Tennis - No to Violence”
Day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing
Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. Brown was joined by Steven McDonald (right), an NYPD detective who was shot in the line of duty by
a 15-year-old boy.
Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
Police Blotter
102nd Precinct
105th Precinct
Assault
Homicide
The NYPD is asking the public’s
assistance identifying and locating
two suspects wanted for assault.
At 4:45 a.m. on May 18, in front
of 74-23 101st Ave., a group of males
approached the victim, a 26-year-old
male, and began punching and kicking him. One of the suspects, known
to the victim, pulled out a sharp object and slashed the victim multiple
times, causing lacerations to his face,
neck, back and hand. The suspects
then fled the scene. The victim was
taken to Jamaica Hospital and was
listed in stable condition.
The suspects are described as follows:
A Hispanic male named Timmy, known
as “Slime,” wearing a blue jean vest with
a white t-shirt underneath and a second
Hispanic male, wearing a black baseball
hat and white sneakers.
Anyone with information is asked
to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-tips, visit www.
nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips
to 274637(CRIMES), then enter
TIP577. All calls are confidential.
At 2:36 a.m. on May 26, police responded to a 911 call at 219th Street
and 137th Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers observed
two males with gunshot wounds
outside 218-16 137th Ave. Dowayne
Henry, 20, with a gunshot wound
to the head and abdomen, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, a 25-year-old unidentified
male, had a gunshot wound to the
back and was transported via EMS
to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition. There are no arrests at this
time and the investigation is ongoing.
Collision
At 8:53 a.m. on May 23, officers
responded to a 911 call of a pedestrian struck at 120th Avenue and 228th
Street.
Upon arrival, officers determined
that William Faison, 53, was riding
his bicycle southbound on 228th
Street when he was struck by a 2011
Kia 4-door sedan traveling west-
bound on 120th Avenue and 228th
Avenue.
Faison was transported via EMS
to Jamaica Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead. The driver of the
Kia, Tiffany Delcia Moore, 26, was
arrested and charged with aggravated
unlicensed operation.
106th Precinct
Robbery
The NYPD is asking the public’s
assistance in locating four suspects
wanted in connection with a robbery.
At 2:05 a.m. on May 25, an unidentified male, 49, was outside of a
deli located at 134-01 Rockaway Blvd.
when the first suspect approached
him and demanded money. The
suspect then removed the victim’s
cell phone and approximately $400
before three additional suspects assaulted the victim and then fled. The
victim sustained minor injuries to
his face and head as a result of this
incident.
The suspects are described as 1825 year-old black males.
Anyone with information is asked
to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-tips, visit www.
nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips
to 274637(CRIMES), then enter
TIP577. All calls are confidential.
114th Precinct
Leaving the Scene
The NYPD is asking the public’s
assistance in locating and identifying
an individual wanted in connection
with leaving the scene of a struck pedestrian.
At approximately 4:05 a.m. on
May 17, the operator was driving
a white sedan when the vehicle
mounted the sidewalk while heading westbound on 30th Avenue and
struck an unidentified 21-year-old
male at 45th Street. The operator
than left the scene and fled to parts
unknown.
Anyone with information is asked
to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-tips, visit www.
nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips
to 274637(CRIMES), then enter
TIP577. All calls are confidential.
Borough Beat
John Liu Holds Campaign Kick-Off
Days after the Queens Democratic Party threw their support behind
John Liu for State Senate, the former
Comptroller held his campaign kickoff in Bayside.
On May 23, Liu stood outside the
Bayside Long Island Rail Road station, surrounded by friends and supporters, to formally announce his bid
for the 11th State Senate District, as
well as state his goals if elected. The
candidate touched on his own experiences in office as well as the need for
Democratic leadership in the legislative body.
At the kick-off, Liu was surrounded by several assembly members and
council members, representatives
from Community Board 7, 8 and 11
and other community leaders.
“The people here reflect the
strength and dynamism of our community here in northeast Queens.
This community, where I lived after I
immigrated from Taiwan at the age of
5. This community, where I grew up
in public schools, libraries and parks.
This community, where my family
frequents supermarkets, movie theaters, batting cages, mini-golf and piz-
Photo by Joe Marvilli
BY JOE MARVILLI
the former mayoral
candidate has been
teaching a course in
financial
management at Baruch College.
Part of the reason
Liu was approached
came from a move
by State Sen. Tony
Avella (D-Bayside)
earlier this year. The
senator joined the
Independent DemoOn May 23 in Bayside, John Liu, surrounded by sup- cratic Conference,
porters, talked about his bid to become the next State whose five members
Senator for northeast Queens.
broke away from the
Democratic caucus
zerias,” Liu said to start his speech. and entered into a power-sharing
“This community, which I would be partnership with the Republican cauhonored to serve again as the next cus.
New York State Senator, a position
“The people of New York State
whose effectiveness I will maximize elected Democrats as the majority
by drawing upon my legislative experi- in the State Senate. It means that the
ence, my fiscal expertise and my real people in the State of New York genworld knowledge from a career in the erally agree more with Democratic
private sector.”
values and principals,” Liu said. “But
Liu said he was approached sever- it’s a small number of people who hapal weeks ago about running for State pen to be Democrats, but are voting
Senate, a primary he decided to en- all the time with Republicans. That is,
ter due to his love of public service, in a significant way, disempowering
among other reasons. Since January, the people of New York State.”
If elected, Liu said he would fight
for minimum wage, public schools,
transportation, healthcare and the
rights of women and the working
class.
“As State Senator, I will be a servant of the public and hold sacred the
trust and confidence placed in me by
the people. I’ll be a leader, not shy of
advancing cutting edge programs and
proposals,” Liu said. “I will be a collaborator, one who works closely with
my colleagues in the Senate and other
parts of government, understanding
that this democracy of ours requires
team effort to create long-lasting
change for good.”
In the last week, Liu has received
union endorsements from the Hotel
Trades Council and the United Food
and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500.
“John Liu will fight against wage
theft, work hard to keep Wal-Mart out
of New York City and stand alongside
our members to raise the wage of the
working class in the district,” UFCW
Local 1500 President Bruce Both
said.
Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718)
357-7400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @JoeMarvilli.
May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 13
A&E
Hall Of Science Opening Design Lab In June
BY JOE MARVILLI
The New York Hall of Science is
aiming for a whole new level of interactivity with a permanent exhibit
coming in June.
On June 7, the Hall of Science
will open its Design Lab, a new exhibition meant to get people more
involved with science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. The
Design Lab lets people experiment
with structures, circuits, simple materials and more.
The Design Lab was born out of the
success of the Maker Faire, an annual
showcase of technology enthusiasts
and exhibitors, who come together to
display their creations and what they
have learned in the process.
“We’ve been interested in designbased learning for quite some time,”
Eric Siegel, director and Chief Creative Officer of NYSCI, said. “Since
we started the Maker Faire, we
started to see how engaged people
become when they have a simple set
of materials to work with. This is a
way to broaden the pathway in those
types of interest.”
Set on the lower level of the Central Pavilion, the Design Lab is split
into five pods: Backstage, Sandbox,
Studio, Treehouse and Maker Space.
In Backstage, visitors will come up
with solutions to performance-based
Restaurant Review
Bringing Northern Italy
To Northern Boulevard
CONTI’S RISTORANTE
249-11 Northern Blvd., Little Neck
(718) 428-8800
CuISINE: Northern Italian
DELIVERY: NO
CREDIT CARD: YES, All Major
HOuRS: Mon/Wed/Thu 5-10:30
p.m., Tue Closed, Fri/Sat 5-11:30
p.m., Sun 5-10 p.m.
www.contisrestaurant.com
Since 2001, the Conti family has
welcomed guests into their dining
room, which offers a warm, intimate atmosphere that brings a taste
of Northern Italy to Northern Boulevard in Little Neck. The staff at
Conti’s Ristorante makes you feel
right at home as they deliver each
homemade plate.
Conti’s moderately-priced menu
offers an extensive wine list along
with all the essential appetizers,
pasta and main courses that can be
found at most Italian fine dining
restaurants. The main attractions,
however, can be found in the specials that Head Chef Mario Babic
works up on a daily basis.
“Some people don’t even open
the menu,” Gustavo Crespo, our
waiter for the evening, told us.
One standout cold appetizer
was the delicious lobster cocktail,
served with crabmeat, chilled avocado and asparagus, all presented
elegantly on the plate like a work of
art. No Italian dinner can be com-
plete without an exceptional pasta
course, and the Fuzi alla Grappa
fit the bill this evening. This thick
pasta, served with mushrooms, offered a taste that was deceptively
filled with flavor and will surely
leave diners craving for more.
The main course that was the
most attractive this evening was
the Bronzini. This Mediterranean
sea bass was served with tomatoes,
onions and capers and was a rare
treat that won’t be forgotten any
time soon. The salty, tender fish
had a distinct, mouth-watering flavor that stood out on its own and
was served with fresh spinach and
green beans.
To finish off the evening, the
homemade napoleon is a musthave dessert and a favorite of owner Walter Conti. The flaky layers
of pastry, custard and vanilla will
melt in your mouth and ensure you
leave with a smile on your face.
There is also a live pianist on Mondays and Thursdays. Despite the
impressive specials, the biggest attraction is the cordial staff, according to Eric and Robin Schwartz,
two regular guests from Roslyn.
“The staff is professional
and friendly, which is an incredible combination,” Eric Schwartz
said. “I feel so comfortable here.
I became a regular after my first
time.”
- Jordan Gibbons
activities, such as creating jointed
shadow puppets out of index cards,
fasteners, sticks and tape. Sandbox
will challenge visitors to create sturdy
structures they can stand inside. Museumgoers will come up with small
pieces that will be added to a collaborative project in Studio. Treehouse
is a split-level area whose activities all
require a vertical drop. Maker Space,
which opened in 2012, converts ideas
into prototypes with simple tools.
“The names of the spaces are
evocative of childhood,” Siegel said.
Siegel added that these activities,
which will change every few months
while keeping the design lab in
place, offers visitors a type of education that is particularly appealing to
young people today.
“There’s a lot of research that shows
a lot of young people are engaged in
the types of activities where they get to
do something,” he said.
The Design Lab is opening in time
for the Hall of Science’s 50th anniversary, which the venue will also
Sandbox is one of five pods that make
up the Design Lab at the New York
Hall of Science.
mark by reopening the Great Hall
that was originally built for the 196465 World’s Fair.
Summer hours for Design Lab activities are Monday through Friday,
10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday
from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For more information on the Design Lab and other exhibits, visit
www.nysci.org.
Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718)
357-7400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @JoeMarvilli.
Officials Reflect
On Maya Angelou
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
dream of a more fair and peaceful
world,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
Maya Angelou died Wednesday at
“Today we mourn the passing and
her home in Winstom-Salem, N.C. at celebrate the legacy of Dr. Maya Anthe age of 86. She was an American gelou, whose voice, passion, and life
author and poet who is best remem- has left a lasting influence on our
bered for her book “I Know Why the state and nation. Dr. Angelou always
Caged Bird Sings,” a personal ac- considered New York City – especially
count of her childhood in
Harlem – to be her second
the Jim Crow South.
home. That is why we in
She was active in the
New York State are so honCivil Rights movement and
ored to have her personal
worked with Dr. Martin Lupapers housed at Harlem’s
ther King Jr. and Malcolm
Schomburg Center for ReX. In 1993, Angelou recited
search in Black Culture. On
her poem, “On the Pulse of
behalf of all New Yorkers, I
Morning” at President Bill
send my condolences to her
Clinton’s inauguration.
loved ones,” Governor AnShe was respected as a
drew Cuomo said.
Maya Angelou
spokesperson of African“I am deeply saddened
Americans and women, and her by the death of Maya Angelou, a truly
works have been considered a de- great African-American woman who
fense of Black culture.
gave so much to the world and was
Local officials reflected on An- an inspiration to so many – as a poet,
gelou’s passing:
novelist, actress, professor, singer,
“Along with so many New Yorkers, dancer and civil rights activist. Her
we were saddened to learn of Maya legacy is one of determination and
Angelou’s passing. Literature has lost creativity and her voice will never be
one of its greatest voices, the civil silent, not even in death, for her works
rights movement has lost one of its will live on for future generations to
staunchest activists, and the world has enjoy,” State Sen. Malcolm Smith (Dlost a woman whose fierce compassion Hollis) said.
will shape our lives for generations to
Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at
come. Today, and in the days to come, (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or jgibbons@
let us work together to advance her queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.
Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
Queens today
FRIDAY 5/30
POP uP COffEE shOP
Weekends this summer,
Lockwood’s backyard is
transformed into the Secret
Garden pop up coffee shop.
Enjoy coffee, tea and
pastries while perusing
a special selection of
plants and garden supplies, or just sit and relax
on the comf y furniture. The
shop will be open 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. For more information, call (718) 626-6030.
BOOk sIGNING
The Bayside Historical Society is going to hold a book
signing of “Forgotten
Queens” by Kevin Walsh.
The Greater Astoria Historical Society will be on hand
as well for this session and
presentation that starts at 7
p.m. Wine and cheese will
be available. The event costs
$5 for BHS members and $8
for non-members.
DIANE tEmPlEtON
Vocalist Diane Templeton will appear at the
Glen Oaks Library for a
nostalgic trip back to the
great music of the 1920s to
the 1960s, with such familiar tunes as “Shaking the
Blues Away,” “Till I Waltz
Again with You,” “The Best
Is Yet to Come” and much,
much more. The concert is
free and runs from 2 p.m.
to 3:15 p.m. The Glen Oaks
branch is located at 256-04
Union Turnpike.
INtRODuCtION tO thE
ENtERtAINmENt
INDustRy
Join music legend and Video
Music Box pioneer “Uncle”
Ralph McDaniels in a
conversation about his
legendary career as an
entrepreneur in radio,
television, film and fashion.
In collaboration with BulLion Entertainment. Queens
Library for Teens, 2002
Cornaga Ave., Far Rockaway.
4 p.m.
SATURDAY 5/31
RGC PAlOOzA
The Pomonok Houses
Resident Green Committee is holding RGC
Palooza, a wellness fair,
on the baseball field at PS
201 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The NYPD, Queens Botanical Garden, Queens College,
Green City Force and more
will be participating. PS 201
is located at 65-11 155th St.,
Flushing.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
SATURDAY 5/31
‘REtROsPECtIvA’
Gabriela Granados presents “Retrospectiva,” a
gala performance of Flamenco and classical Spanish
dance with special guest dancers and musicians, 8
p.m. at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, Tony
Bennett Concert Hall, 35-12 35th Ave., Astoria.
Tickets cost $28, seniors $20 and $12 for students
and children.
For tickets and information, call (800) 838-3006
or visit www.retrospectiva.brownpapertickets.com.
SUNDAY 6/1
fREE suNDAy ARts
PERfORmANCEs
sPRING RECItAl
Enjoy a cultural showcase
at the Ayazamana Ecuadorian Cultural Center
Children’s Program
Spring Recital at Queens
Museum. Students in the
children’s dance and music
programs will perform the
various dances and songs
they have prepared over the
last four months. The free
event will run from 3 p.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Call (718) 5929700 for more information.
BOOk ExtRAvAGANzA
The Greater Astoria Historical Society will host a Book
Extravaganza fundraiser
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at
35-20 Broadway, fourth
floor, Long Island City. Hundreds of fiction and non-fiction books will be available,
along with music, T-shirts
and more. For information,
visit www.astorialic.org.
BEAtlEs CONCERt
The Poppenhusen Institute
will hold a free concert
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles
Invasion. Performed by the
band Sessions, this show
will take place in Mac Neil
Park at 5 p.m. The rain site
is the Poppenhusen Institute. Call (718) 358-0067 for
more information.
vIsuAl hIstORy Of
hIP hOP
“Uncle” Ralph McDaniels, followed by performances by DIOS Music/
BulLion Entertainment
recording artist rapper Stereo H, aka @Hashim BING
and up-and-coming hip hop
artist Juanito Jones. Queens
Library at Langston Hughes
Library, 100-01 Northern
Blvd., Corona, 2 p.m.
tuRNtABlE ARts
Join Legendary DJ Chuck
Chillout and AwardWinning Turntablist
GrandMixer DXT in a
demonstration and discussion of the arts of sampling,
DJ’ing, and turntablism.
Queens Library at Langston Hughes Library, 100-01
Northern Blvd., Corona, 4
p.m.
as the value of being part of
a family. Tickets are $14. For
more information, call (718)
760-0064.
PEtER PAN
Queens Theatre will
present an adaptation of
J.M. Barrie’s classic tale
at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. “Peter
Pan” explores the journey
of a group of children in
turn-of-the-century London
who use their imaginations
to reenact the story of Peter
Pan. This story empowers
children to create their own
world of make-believe. As
the children fly to Neverland and escape the evil
Captain Hook and Mr. Smee,
they recognize the importance of friendship as well
This Sunday kicks off three
weekends of free art at
Salvatore LaRussa Dance
Theater’s The Academy,
showcasing six emerging
New York City choreographers. The Academy is an
education center with the
mission of bringing arts
instruction to the diverse income area. All performances
begin at 5 p.m. and are free
and open to the general
public.
jazzy program of clever and
fun music by Broken Reed
founder Charley Gerard
and Mike Mower. Gerard
describes the group’s sound
as “devious, witty, swinging
tunefulness.” Suggested donation is $12, students and
seniors $10. For information
or to make a reservation,
call (718) 268-7772 or visit
www.gingerbreadplayers.
org.
ONGOING
stAGED READING
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
will present a staged reading of “A Dream of Red
Pavilions” at Flushing
Town Hall at 4 p.m.. The
show is a world premiere
adapted by Jeremy Tiang
from the
classic Chinese novel
by Cao
Xueqin and
co-directed
by Lu Yu
and Tisa
Chang. The
story is set in 18th-Century
China, where two beings
from the heavenly kingdom
are reborn on Earth as cousins Bao Yu and Dai Yu. They
fall in love, but their union
is forbidden by their elders,
who favor a more suitable
union. Tickets cost $10 for
the general audience and $5
for members and students.
JAzz CONCERt
The Gingerbread Players
of St. Luke’s Church will
present the Broken Reed
Saxophone Quartet, 3
p.m. in the St. Luke’s Sactuary, 85 Greenway South,
Forest Hills. The group will
be making its second appearance at St. Luke’s in a
‘WE WOmEN DO It
BEttER!’
Back by popular demand,
Thalia Spanish Theatre
presents the hit comedy by
Puerto Rican Playright
Roberto Ramos-Perea.
English performances take
place for five weeks Fridays
starting May 30 at 8 p.m.
and Saturdays at 3 p.m.
Spanish performances take
place Saturdays at 8 p.m.
and Sundays at 4 p.m.
Thalia Spanish Theatre is
located at 41-17 Greenpoint
Ave., Sunnyside. Tickets cost
$27, students and seniors
$25. For tickets and more
information, call (718) 7293880 or visit www.thaliatheatre.org.
GOt EvENts?
Send all information to
[email protected]
or mail to:
Queens Tribune
150-50 14th Rd.,
Whitestone, NY 11357
May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15
Profile
Faith Mission Alcohol Center In Crisis
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
Faith Mission Alcohol Crisis
Center is facing a crisis of its own in
Jamaica. The free alcohol and substance abuse center is in danger of
closing its doors if it does not receive
increased funding.
Since the passing of former Councilman Tom White in 2010, Faith
Mission has seen a decline in discretionary funding and is in need
of a $150,000 grant to operate completely. According to Faith Mission’s
leaders, Councilman Ruben Wills
(D-Jamaica) was planning to help
with the initiative, but he has recently been stripped of his chairmanship
and discretionary spending while he
is facing criminal charges.
Since the center’s doors opened in
1993, Faith Mission’s goal has been
to provide high quality crisis intervention services to people suffering
from substance abuse disorders and
the accompanying problems of mental illness, medical complications,
homelessness, poverty and other issues.
The center admits and serves
around 150 veterans annually, who
usually have more significant issues
than other clients. They serve about
300 women annually, who have
school age children, child welfare
cases and a history of sexual trauma and/or domestic violence. They
also serve a significant amount of
elderly clients who have addiction
disorders and medical complications.
They provide withdrawal services, stabilization services up to
21 days, individual and group counseling, psychosocial assessments,
treatment plans and referrals to ongoing care, all free of charge to the
community.
Wills submitted a list of priorities that he thought were important
to the 28th Council District to City
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Councilman Mark Weprin
(D-Oakland Gardens), which is reported to include Faith Mission.
Weprin said he will be having
meetings with Mark-Viverito to go
over everything in the next few weeks
and he needs to make sure all the
money Faith Mission requested was
legitimate. He also wants to “make
sure these groups don’t get penalized.”
Maurice Lacey, executive director
of Faith Mission, is concerned they
will not be able to offer these services for much longer.
“We’re at risk right now without
support from the delegation,” Lacey
said. “We have a lot of anxiety and
we’re not sure what is going to happen when everything is said and
done.”
Lacey said they have received
$5,000 from Wills the last few years,
but 2011 was the last time they received delegation money.
“Our budget does not keep up with
the rate of inflation,” he said.
The center is currently in the process of sending out fundraising campaign letters, along with a donation
campaign and scheduling a fundraising luncheon in the fall.
Lacey said any financial support
would help but ultimately, they need
to figure out their financial position
by July 1 for the start of their fiscal
year.
“This puts us at risk, but mainly
the people we serve are at risk, who
desperately need our services,” he
said.
Faith Mission is located 114-40
Van Wyck Expy., Jamaica, NY 11420.
For more information on the center,
call (718) 322-3677.
Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at
(718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or jgibbons@
queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.
People
Tara Johnson of Cambria Heights
received academic honors for the
spring 2014 semester at SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica.
Kevin Michael of South Richmond
Hill was named to the President’s
List for the spring 2014 semester at
SUNY Institute of Technology in
Utica.
Greater Springfield Community
Church will hold a grand opening
ceremony for its new Food Pantry
Ministry from 9-10 a.m. June 7 at the
church, 177-06 129th Ave., Jamaica.
For information, call (718) 527-0100
or visit www.greaterspringfieldchurch.org.
Julian Omeally of St. Albans was
named to the President’s List for the
spring 2014 semester at Southern
New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.
Jasmine Torok of Queens Village
received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and
marketing during spring 2014 commencement ceremonies at Bryant
University in Smithfield, R.I.
Isiah Pringle of Laurelton received a Bachelor of Science degree
in marketing during spring 2014 commencement ceremonies at Salve Re-
gina University in Newport, R.I.
Tyler Coon of Jamaica received
a degree during spring 2014 commencement ceremonies at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.
Local students received degrees
during spring 2014 commencement
ceremonies at Skidmore College in
Saratoga Springs. They include:
St. Albans: Jody-Ann Facey, Bachelor of Arts degree; Hale Hall, Bachelor of Arts degree.
Rashed Alhamra of Springfield
Gardens was named to the Dean’s
List for the spring 2014 semester at
Eastern New Mexico University in
Portales, N.M.
Local students received degrees
during spring 2014 commencement
ceremonies at Binghamton University. They include:
Hollis: Kevin Gwenden.
Jamaica: Cazal Arnett, Larry Patterson.
Queens Village: Nadya Chodhury.
St. Albans: Tracie Bentick, Carlton Ramsay.
Springfield
Gardens:
Isaiah
Knight.
The Queens Library will hold a
kick-off to its Summer Reading 2014
program from 12:30-4 p.m. June 5 at
the Children’s Library Discovery Center, located at the Central Branch of
the Queens Library, 89-11 Merrick
Blvd., Jamaica.
Summer Reading activities will
happen in every Queens Library
branch throughout the Borough.
For information, visit www.queenslibrary.org.
Queens Botanical Garden has
announced that during its annual
World’s Fair Rose Gala on June 12,
the organization will honor Cord
Meyer Development, George S. Meyer and members of the Meyer family.
For information, visit www.queensbotanical.org/rosegala.
The American-Italian Cancer Foundation’s mobile no-cost breast cancer
screening program will hold screenings at the following locations:
June 1: Hindu Temple, 143-09
Holly Ave., Flushing.
June 5: Fireshouse Health Center,
89-56 162nd St., Jamaica.
June 6: Joseph Addabbo Family
Health Center, 6200 Beach Channel
Drive, Arverne.
June 11: Queens Health Center,
97-04 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica.
June 12: Councilman Mark Weprin’s office, 73-03 Bell Blvd., Oakland Gardens.
June 13: PS 280, 34-20 94th St.,
Jackson Heights.
To schedule an appointment, call
(877) 628-9090.
Adrian Breda of Ozone Park was
named to the President’s List for the
spring 2014 semester at SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica.
Upcoming events at the Howard
Beach Senior Center include:
Calypso Cardio, with Debbie
Brown, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Emergency Preparedness For Seniors, 10:30 a.m. June 10.
Fantastic Fiber with Cassie Plummer, 10:30 a.m. June 12.
“Getting Your Energy Back With
Nutrition,” with Dr. Avrum Musnik,
June 24.
The Howard Beach Senior Center
is located at 155-55 Crossbay Blvd.,
Howard Beach. For information, call
(718) 738-8100.
Send notices of graduation,
awards, anniversaries,
engagements
& honors to:
PRESS of Southeast Queens
150-50 14th Rd.,
Whitestone, NY 11357
Page 16 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
Faith
The Christian Feast Of The Ascension
BY JORDAN GIBBONS
On Thursday, May 29, the Christian faith celebrated The Feast of the
Ascension, also known as Ascension
Thursday, Holy Thursday or Ascension Day. This day commemorates
the bodily ascension of Jesus into
Heaven 40 days after his resurrection
and is one of the ecumenical feasts
of Christian churches, ranking with
the feasts of the Passion, Easter and
Pentecost.
Ascension Day falls 40 days after
Easter, on the 6th Thursday of Easter. In some parts of the world, the
feast is held the Sunday after the traditional date. In Western Christianity, the earliest possible date is April
30 and the latest is June 3.
The holiday is mentioned in the
writings of St. John Chrysostom, St.
Gregory of Nyssa and in the Constitution of the Apostles. The “Pilgrimage of Aetheria” speaks of the vigil
of this feast and of the feast itself,
as they were held in the church built
over the grotto in Bethlehem where
Christ was born.
The Latin terms used for the feast,
ascension and occasionally ascensa,
signify that Christ was raised up by
his own powers and it is from these
terms that the holy day gets its name.
In Roman Catholicism, the Ascension of the Lord is a Holy Day of
Obligation. The three days before
Ascension Thursday are sometimes
referred to as the Rogation days and
the previous Sunday, the sixth Sunday of Easter, as Rogation Sunday.
Ascension has a vigil and, since
the 15th century, an octave, which is
set apart for a novena of preparation
for Pentacost, in accordance with the
directions of Pope Leo XIII.
In a number of countries, the Roman Catholic Church does not observe the feast as a public holiday
and has obtained permission from
the Vatican to move observance of
the Feast of the Ascension from the
traditional Thursday to the following
Sunday, which is the Sunday before
Pentecost. This follows a trend to
move Holy Days of Obligation from
weekdays to Sunday, to encourage
more Catholics to observe feasts
considered important.
In some Eastern churches and
Oriental Orthodox churches, this
feast is known in Greek as Analepsis, the “taking up” and also Episozomene, the “salvation from on
high,” implying that by ascending
into his glory, Christ completed
the work of our redemption.
Certain customs or rituals
connected to the feast are the
blessing of beans and grapes after the Commemoration of the
Dead in the Canon of the Mass,
the blessing of first fruits on Rogation Days, the blessing of a
candle, the extinguishing of the
paschal candle and processions
with torches and banners outside
the churches to commemorate
the entry of Christ into Heaven.
In some churches, the scene of
the Ascension was vividly reproduced by elevating the figure of
Christ above the altar through an
opening in the roof of the church.
In others, while the figure of Christ Painting of The Ascension by Gebhard
was made to ascend, a figure of the Fugel.
devil was made to descend.
Notebook
Campus Magnet High School
Noah Vickers Commits To MercyHurst
scholarship from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.
Vickers said he was predestined
to come to Campus Magnet. He
began his journey with the
Bulldogs when he was in
the sixth grade, sitting in
the bleachers with his parents, who had all come to
watch the basketball team
play. A few years later, Vickers became the latest of the
basketball players guided by
the legendary coach Charles
Granby, who started as a
physical education teacher
in Andrew Jackson High
School and left the building
as a legend with a final total
win of 722 games. Granby
just retired after 45 years as
a coach and mentor.
As a bulldog, Vickers
Noah Vickers has accepted a full basketball ath- played point guard. He has
letic scholarship from Mercyhurst University in been an active captain of
the Bulldogs for the past
Pennsylvania.
two years, leading the league
Noah Vickers, captain of the Bulldogs of the Campus Magnet High
School complex in Cambria Heights,
has accepted a full basketball athletic
with 466 points, averaging 33 points
and 6.5 assists per game.
Although Vickers works hard on
the court, his academic records and
community service contributed to
him being offered a full scholarship
to Mercyhurst. With a 93 percent
grade point average, he successfully
completed AP biology and AP English literature. With this academic
record, as well as being in the school
chapter of the National Honor Society, Vickers feels that he is now ready
for the workload that college will
bring. He has also been a volunteer
basketball coach for the local kids in
the Rosedale Springfield Park for the
past few summers.
As he moves forward to his future at Mercyhurst, Vickers said he
appreciates the support system that
has brought him this far. He said he
will remember the support the teachers at the Math, Science, Research
and Technology High School gave
him over his four years. Moreover,
his parents Debbie and Ken have al-
ways encouraged and supported him,
and will no doubt continue to be his
backbone.
Vickers said he chose Mercyhurst
because he liked the support system,
the chemistry with the coaches and
the academics, which will help him
to grow as a student and athlete. He
plans on studying sports management during his time in Mercyhurst.
-Esther Shittu
The PRESS of Southeast
Queens wants to hear
about students’
accomplishments
in your school.
Send your stories
and photos to:
The PRESS of Southeast
Queens at 150-50 14th Rd.,
Whitestone, NY 11357
May 30 - June 5, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 17
What’s Up
May 30
Kewl Skewl Klub
Don’t miss the opportunity to see
Afrikan Poetry Theatre morph into
the Kewl Skewl Klub. Enjoy live music, entertaining DJs, an open mic,
and more. Hosted by Apani Smith,
the admission cost is $10. For additional information, call (718) 5233312. The event will take place at the
Afrikan Poetry Theatre, located at
176-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica.
May 30-June 1
Sizwi Bansi is Dead
The Caribbean American Repertory Theatre honors South Africa
with an award-winning play depicting the inhumanity of the apartheid
system. The cost of admission is $20
and the play starts at 7:30 p.m. on
May 30-31 and 3 p.m. on June 1. For
additional information, call (718)
454-4234. The event will be held at
the L. Charles Gray Theatre, Presbyterian Church of St. Albans, located
at 190-04 119th Ave., St. Albans.
May 31
Father’s & Children’s Picnic
blyman William Scarborough present the 7th Annual Fathers and
Children’s Picnic to kick off the Real
Dads Network 7th Annual Celebration of Father’s Week. The picnic
will be held in Roy Wilkins Park from
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dads are invited to
bring their children to enjoy the music, free hot dogs and hamburgers,
arts and crafts and games provided
by the Queens Parks Department.
Everyone is asked to bring NYS
deposit bottles and cans to redeem at
the picnic for a new initiative called
Recycle for Education at the Picnic.
There will be an announcement that
one scholarship will be allocated to a
single Black father and can be used
for college or vocational training.
Queens Chapter NaN 1st
annual Scholarship award
Ceremony
Fitness and Fun Day
JuNe 1
National Council Of Negro
Women’s 27th annual Black
& White awards Banquet
Join Councilmember I. Daneek
Miller for Fitness and Fun Day, held
at Roy Wilkins Park from 12 p.m. to
4 p.m. The park is located at 119-08
Merrick Blvd., Jamaica. The event
will feature blood pressure, Zumba
instructor Pam Parker, dance fitness
Instructor Daryl Cherry and activities for adults and children. For more
information, call (718) 776-3700.
Real Dads Network and Assem-
The women’s committee Queens
Chapter of the National Action Network (NAN) invites you to the 1st
Annual Scholarship Award Ceremony. The NAN Queens Chapter will
award three scholarships to students
planning to enroll fulltime undergraduate at an accredited two or four
year college, university, or technical
school during the 2014-15 academic
year. The ceremony will begin at 3
p.m. at the Greater Springfield Community Church, located at 177-06
129th Ave., Jamaica. For more information, call (718) 949-9500.
The National Council of Negro
women present its 27th Annual
Blacks and White Awards Banquet.
The theme is “Celebrating the
Achievements of Those Who Inspire
Community Transformation.” The
banquet will be held at Antun’s, located at 96-43 Springfield Blvd.,
Queens Village. Tickets are sold in
advance for an $85 donation. For
more information, contact Lizzie
Gregory at (718) 528-5134 or Darlene Henderson at (718) 380-3261.
JuNe 2
Paid Sick Leave Workshop
Employers and employees impacted by new paid sick leave legislation
are encouraged to attend the Laurelton Paid Sick Leave Workshop hosted by the Office of Councilmember
Donovan Richards. The workshop
will begin at 6 p.m. at Saint Luke Cathedral, located at 133-21 233rd St.,
Laurelton. For more information,
call (718) 527-4356.
JuNe 4
Medicare 101
EmblemHealth
Neighborhood
Care presents Medicare 101. The
seminar will answer all the questions
you have about Medicare. To reserve
a seat, call (800) 447-9169 or call 711.
The seminar will begin at 10:30 a.m.
and will be held at EmblemHealth
Care Neighborhood Center located
at 206-20 Linden Blvd., Cambria
Heights.
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
SUMMONS Index No. 2312413 D/O/F: December 20,
2013 Premises Address: 11927 198TH STREET SAINT ALBANS, NY 11412 SUPREME
COURT OF THE STATE OF
NEW YORK COUNTY OF
QUEENS WELLS FARGO
BANK, N.A., Plaintiff, -againstTANYA R. CLEMENTS; NEW
YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW
YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; NEW
YORK STATE DEPARTMENT
OF TAXATION & FINANCE;
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-INTERNAL REVENUE
SERVICE; JOHN DOE 1
THROUGH 50; JANE DOE
1 THROUGH 50, INTENDING TO BE THE UNKNOWN
HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF
MARGARET L. PITCHFORD
WHO WAS BORN ON MAY
4, 1925 AND DIED ON MAY
11, 2008, A RESIDENT OF
THE COUNTY OF QUEENS,
THEIR SUCCESSORS IN
INTEREST IF ANY OF THE
AFORESAID DEFENDANTS
BE DECEASED, THEIR RESPECTIVE HEIRS AT LAW,
NEXT OF KIN, DISTRIBUTES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES,
TRUSTEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, ASSIGNEES AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF
THE AFORESAID CLASSES
OF PERSON, IF THEY OR
ANY OF THEM BE DEAD,
AND THEIR RESPECTIVE
HUSBANDS, WIVES OR
WIDOWS, IF ANY, ALL
OF WHOM AND WHOSE
NAMES AND PLACES OF
RESIDENCEAREUNKNOWN
TO THE PLAINTIFF; NEW
YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD;;
''JOHN DOES'' and ''JANE
DOES'', said names being
fictitious, parties intended
being possible tenants or
occupants of premises, and
corporations, other entities
or persons who claim, or
may claim, a lien against the
premises, Defendant(s), TO
THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY
SUMMONED to answer
the Complaint in this action,
and to serve a copy of your
Answer, or, if the Complaint
is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of
Appearance on the Plaintiff's
Attorneys within twenty (20)
days after the service of this
Summons, exclusive of the
day of service, where service
is made by delivery upon you
personally within the State,
or within thirty (30) days
after completion of service
where service is made in any
other manner, and in case
of your failure to appear or
answer, judgment will be
taken against you by default
for the relief demanded in
the complaint. NOTICE: YOU
ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING
YOUR HOME If you do not
respond to this summons and
complaint by serving a copy
of the answer on the attorney
for the mortgage company
who filed this foreclosure
proceeding against you and
filing the answer with the
court, a default judgment
may be entered and you can
lose your home. Speak to an
attorney or go to the court
where your case is pending
for further information on
how to answer the summons
and protect your property.
Sending a payment to your
mortgage company will not
stop this foreclosure action.
YOU MUST RESPOND BY
SERVING A COPY OF THE
ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF
(MORTGAGE COMPANY)
AND FILING THE ANSWER
WITH THE COURT. The following notice is intended only
for those defendants who
are owners of the premises
sought to be foreclosed or
who are liable upon the debt
for which the mortgage stands
as security. YOU ARE HEREBY
PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE
ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY
INFORMATION OBTAINED
WILL BE USED FOR THAT
PURPOSE. The amount of
the debt: $259,292.64 consisting of principal balance
of $229,735.13 plus interest
of 22,437.63, escrow/impound shortages or credits
of $4,859.06, late charges
of $396.40; Broker`s Price
Opinion, inspection and
miscellaneous charges of
$105.00; surrogate search
fee of $21.73; attorney fee
$1,200.00 and title search
$537.69. Because of interest
and other charges that may
vary from day to day, the
amount due on the day you
pay may be greater. Hence,
if you pay the amount shown
above, an adjustment may be
necessary after we receive the
check, in which event we will
inform you. The name of the
creditor to whom the debt is
owed: WELLS FARGO BANK,
N.A.. Unless you dispute the
validity of the debt, or any
portion thereof, within thirty
(30) days after receipt hereof,
the debt will be assumed to
be valid by the herein debt
collector. If you notify the
herein debt collector in writing within thirty (30) days after
your receipt hereof that the
debt, or any portion thereof,
is disputed, we will obtain
verification of the debt or a
copy of any judgment against
you representing the debt and
a copy of such verification or
judgment will be mailed to
you by the herein debt collector. Upon your written request
within 30 days after receipt of
this notice, the herein debt
collector will provide you with
the name and address of the
original creditor if different
from the current creditor.
Note: Your time to respond
to the summons and complaint differs from your time
to dispute the validity of the
debt or to request the name
and address of the original
creditor. Although you have as
few as 20 days to respond to
the summons and complaint,
depending on the manner of
service, you still have 30 days
from receipt of this summons
to dispute the validity of the
debt and to request the name
and address of the original
creditor. TO THE DEFENDANTS: The Plaintiff makes
no personal claim against you
in this action. TO THE DEFENDANTS: If you have obtained
an order of discharge from
the Bankruptcy court, which
includes this debt, and you
have not reaffirmed your
liability for this debt, this law
firm is not alleging that you
have any personal liability for
this debt and does not seek
a money judgment against
you. Even if a discharge has
been obtained, this lawsuit
to foreclose the mortgage
will continue and we will
seek a judgment authorizing
the sale of the mortgaged
premises. Dated: December
19, 2013 Shanna J. Black,
Esq. ROSICKI, ROSICKI &
ASSOCIATES, P.C. Attorneys
for Plaintiff Main Office 51
E Bethpage Road Plainview,
NY 11803 516-741-2585
Help For Homeowners In
Foreclosure New York State
Law requires that we send
you this notice about the
foreclosure process. Please
read it carefully. Mortgage
foreclosure is a complex
process. Some people may
approach you about “saving” your home. You should
be extremely careful about
any such promises. The State
encourages you to become
informed about your options
in foreclosure. There are
government agencies, legal
aid entities and other nonprofit organizations that you
may contact for information
about foreclosure while you
are working with your lender
during this process. To locate
an entity near you, you may
call the toll-free helpline
maintained by the New York
State Banking Department at
1-877-BANKNYS (1-877-2265697) or visit the Department’s website at www.banking.state.ny.us. The State does
not guarantee the advice of
these agencies.
50's Pitch A Bit Outside
Q
CONFIDENTIAL
Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens May 30 - June 5, 2014
Musicians OF QuEEns
Anthony Lanni
QConf is edited by:
We think it is safe to say that
left-handed pitcher Curtis Jackson will not be getting a Major
League Baseball contract in this
lifetime.
Jackson, better known as
50 Cent, embarrassed himself
earlier this week when he threw
out the first pitch at Tuesday’s
Mets-Pirates game.
In a pitch that has to be seen
to believe, 50 Cent stood on
the mound and threw the ball
in a different stratosphere than
where home plate is. The ball
actually comes close to hitting
a photographer standing a few
strides away from the plate, snap-
ping pictures of what turned out
to be a disaster of a pitch.
50’s first pitch rivals that of
Gary Dell’Abate, better known
as “Baba Booey” on the Howard
Stern Show, who hit an umpire
when he tried to loft the ball over
home plate.
While Dell’Abate’s pitch is
probably a little worse, 50 Cent
has placed himself in the pantheon of horrible first pitches. If
you created a Mount Rushmore
of bad first pitches, Jackson’s pitch
would be on there for sure.
You might be able to find 50
Cent “in da club,” but he won't be
apart of a ball club for sure.
The Pains of the 7 Train
The 7 train is trending. And
not because it’s got fans.
Recently, passengers have
been so frustrated with 7 train
service in Queens, they’ve taken
to Twitter to express their
outrage.
The hashtag #7train documents every packed car, missed
stop and hours-long commute.
“Monday: screaming past
stations that are fulla the sweet
vomity smell that is my weekend.
I’m looking at you, 40th StLowry” writes @NYC_7Train, an
entire Twitter profile dedicated to
stuggles on the 7 train.
@NYC_7Train uses the
hashtag #7trainpain to really
get the point across.
“Why are there constantly
so many signal problems on the
freaking #7train during rush
hour?!?!” Katherine Lin wrote,
in a moment of travel panic.
Some passengers are more
numbed to the train pain. James
Magenst wrote, “When it rains,
it pours in an MTA station.
#7train”
Fabolously Lucky
Looks like it wasn’t quite
“his time.”
Last week, Brooklyn born
hip-hop star John Jackson,
better known by his stage
name, Fabolous, walked away
nearly unscathed after he
crashed his black Cadillac Escalade into a truck on the Van
Wyck Expressway in Queens.
“I just survived a car accident on the Van Wyck in
Queens, NY,” he told his millions of followers on Instagram
and Twitter. “It’s a very shock-
ing experience and may change
my outlook on how fast things
can happen and you’re put into
a life threatening situation.”
According to the star’s
Twitter account, this is the 36year-old’s first car crash and he
suffered very minor injuries.
Fabolous used his Instagram account to post photos
of his car and the truck post
accident.
Luckily, Fabolous can now
go back to “Keepin’ It Gangsta.”
Steven J. Ferrari
Contributors: Bruce
Adler, Jordan Gibbons,
Luis Gronda, Joe
Marvilli, Marcia Moxom
Comrie, Michael
Nussbaum, Michael
Schenkler, Jackie
Strawbridge.
Follow us on Twitter:
@QueensTrib
Like us on Facebook
facebook.com/
QueensTrib
Time To Slow
Down
Here is a message to all the
speedy drivers in Queens: Hit
the brakes!
Last week, the NYPD announced results of a speeding initiative it conducted
throughout the five boroughs,
aiming at ticketing speedy
drivers who are running the
engine way too hard.
During the two-day initiative, which took place on May
20 and 21, the NYPD issued the
second most summonses out
of the five boroughs, totaling
1,219.
The Police Dept. issued
4.814 summonses in total.
Only drivers in Brooklyn were
ticketed more often than in
Queens, getting 1,249 summonses in total.
The slower a car is going, the
less likely a fatality will occur.
According to the NYPD, studies show that a pedestrian hit
by a car at 40 miles per hour
has an 85 percent chance of
dying.
At 30 mph that drops to 45
percent and at 20 mph it drops
further to five percent.
We know some people like
to pretend it is the Indianapolis
500 when you are driving out
there, but let’s go a little bit
slower.
You will still get to your
destination. Slow and steady
wins the race, as they say.
Although Anthony Lanni
started his college education in math and computer
science, it was the lessons in
music that affected his life the
most. Lanni’s father taught
him to play traditional Italian songs on the mandolin.
From there, he started taking
classical guitar lessons and
performing at a local Detroit
café.
“It was the experience
of performing live that drew
me into pursuing music,”
he said. “I really enjoyed
presenting and interpreting
the music to the audience
and the reaction I got from
the listeners.”
Lanni’s instructor introduced him to the music of
Brazilian songwriter and
guitarist Antônio Carlos
Jobim. This style of music
would form the basis for
Lanni’s musical direction,
especially once he moved to
Astoria and started listening
to as much Brazilian music
as possible.
“Brazilian music encapsulates everything I love
about music: beautiful, rich
harmonies and melodies
and energetic, grooving
rhythms,” he said.
Those same musical cornerstones are the foundation
of Lanni’s own songs. The
guitarist said he starts with
a mood he wants to create
and then tries to find the right
sound to get that emotion
across to the listener. Often,
he would take a small chord
progression or harmony
and use it to bounce off into
his own melodies. Once the
instrumentation is written,
he will work on the lyrics,
looking for phrases and ideas
that fit the mood.
When it is time to take
those songs to the stage,
Lanni plays in a variety of setups. He has done solo, duo,
trio and quartet performances.
Each combination offers a
different interpretation of the
material.
“When I perform solo, I
tend to focus on conveying
the beauty of the music and
creating a full, rich, warm tone
with the guitar. There is more
space for me to bring out those
harmonies and improvise,”
he said. “If it is a small group
such as a duo or trio, I like to
add percussion or drums and
bring attention to the driving
rhythms. Performing a samba
tune with percussion just feels
great!”
The type of performance
Lanni enjoys most of all is
playing with his band, Os
Clavelitos.
The six-member group
came together through the
connections Lanni and the
other members made on various projects. The band writes
original tunes with English
lyrics cover Brazilian rhythms,
though they also cover Brazilian classics.
“When I perform with Os
Clavelitos, I am with my family
and it feels like home,” Lanni
said. “It sort of feels like that
big Sunday dinner with your
good friends and family.”
Os Clavelitos’ first album
is Lanni’s priority for the remainder of 2014. The band is
staying local for their debut,
recording at One Soul Studios
in Sunnyside. Lanni said the
record should be out by late
2014/early 2015.
The band is also playing
a couple of concerts in the
coming weeks. They will be
at The Queens Kickshaw in
Astoria on June 6 at 9 p.m. and
at LIC Bar on June 15 at 4 p.m.
To keep up with Lanni’s music,
visit www.anthonylanni.com.
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