FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 30, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3 Two local high schools excel in STEM courses A pair of local high schools made the top 10 in a list of the best public schools for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the New York area. A report by Niche ranked Th e Queens High School for the Sciences at York College in Jamaica at No. 6 on the list; Townsend Harris High School in Flushing came in at No. 7. At the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, 95 percent of students at the school scored at or above profi ciency levels on state math tests, according to data collected by Niche. Th e school also scored an A+ in academics, teachers and college readiness. Flushing’s Townsend Harris High School ranked No. 7 for its STEM education. With just over 1,000 students, the school has a 99 percent graduation rate and a 92 percent Advanced Placement (AP) enrollment rate. Th e school scored an A+ in academics, clubs and activities and health and safety. Rankings were calculated by Niche using academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with test scores, college data and ratings collected through their website. Suzanne Monteverdi College Point scholarships available College Point students heading to college next year have the opportunity to apply for some fi nancial assistance from a nonprofi t organization until April 17. Th e Karl A. Spahlinger Jr. Scholarship Fund, distributed by the One Point of Light Foundation, was established in 2015 to provide fi nancial assistance to students from College Point. Th e one-year scholarships will provide up to $2,500 to help cover the cost of tuition, fees and room and board for up to four students. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit and fi nancial need and may be renewed on an annual basis. Applicants must be accepted as a full-time student at a college, university or trade school in New York City and have a permanent residence in College Point. To apply, visit http://onepointofl ightfoundation. blogspot.com. Suzanne Monteverdi Queens is the world capital of languages When it comes to the spoken word, Queens truly is the “World’s Borough.” With as many as 800 languages spoken in the whole city, nowhere else has as many languages spoken as there are in Queens, according to the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA). Although it is not known exactly how many languages are spoken in Queens, there are over 160 languages spoken throughout the borough, according to the World Economic Forum. Emily Davenport Big changes coming to Bay Terrace streets BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected] @smont76 Some safety improvements are coming to a winding roadway and two of its busy intersections in Bayside. Community Board 7 voted on Monday, March 27, in favor of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposal for the Bay Terrace section of the neighborhood. Th e project, which encompasses Corporal Kennedy Street and 23rd Avenue between 26th Avenue and Bell Boulevard, will result in the installation of high-visibility pedestrian crosswalks, concrete islands and other safety measures along the roadway. DOT representative Dan Wagner led a presentation regarding the project. He said the Corporal Kennedy Street/23rd Avenue corridor — currently a 25-footwide shared travel and parking lane — will be visually narrowed. Painted lines will divide a 12-foot-wide travel lane from the 13-foot-wide parking lane in each direction; Wagner said this aims to encourage drivers to slow down. At the intersection of 26th Avenue and Corporal Kennedy Street, the DOT will install concrete curb extensions on the northeast and southwest corners to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and upgrade the crosswalk to make it more visible to motorists. At 211th Street and 23rd Avenue, DOT will install concrete curb extensions on the north side of 23rd Avenue, enhanced crossings and concrete pedestrian refuge islands, which provide two-part crossings and make pedestrians more visible to drivers. 26th Avenue and Corporal Kennedy is one of two intersections that will undergo safety changes under the proposal. “We know that this has been a location that the community has been concerned about for quite some time,” said Al Silvestre, deputy Queens Borough Commissioner for DOT. “So we think that we have some strong proposals here to really improve pedestrian and vehicular safety.” Board member Warren Schrieber, who is also president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, said he sent notice about the plans to members of the community. He said he heard back from residents who were in favor of the changes and heard no feedback against it. Board 7 Transportation Committee Chair Nick Corrado made a motion to approve the proposal, and it was carried overwhelmingly. Photo via Google Maps Th e DOT looks to begin the project this summer and estimates the work will take approximately two months to complete. Councilman Paul Vallone welcomed the news of the upcoming safety project. “Th is area, which is home to a large senior population, has been in serious need for pedestrian safety improvements and has been one of our main requests for years,” Vallone said. Th ese improvements will greatly increase the safety of all pedestrians in this area and we will continue to work with the community and the DOT to determine if any further safety enhancements are necessary.” For the complete project report, visit the DOT at nyc.gov. Fresh Meadows man tossed d og off Flushing balcony BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz A Fresh Meadows man threw his dog to her death last week aft er getting into a fi ght with his ex-girlfriend in Flushing over who would take care of the pooch, prosecutors said on March 23. Yuk Cheung, 35, of Parsons Boulevard faces a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly throwing the 12-year-old female pug off the balcony of his ex-girlfriend’s seventh-fl oor apartment on 40th Road near Prince Street in Flushing on March 17. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said the pug fell 70 feet to the street below. According to the charges, Cheung went to his former girlfriend’s home on March 17; he had previously moved out of the apartment and left the pug in her care. Cheung and his ex then got into a verbal dispute at about 7:30 p.m. over who would take care of the canine. Prosecutors said Cheung’s former girlfriend told him to fi nd a place that would allow him to keep his pet. Cheung allegedly responded that she “would not have to worry about the dog anymore.” Th en, law enforcement sources said, Cheung picked up the pug and walked to the apartment balcony. He returned moments later without the pet and claimed that the dog had slipped off the balcony. According to Brown, Cheung allegedly went down to the street, picked up the dog’s body, placed her in a box of ice and dumped the remains in a nearby garbage can. Photo via Shutterstock Prosecutors said he would later change his story when speaking with detectives, claiming that he tripped, and the dog leaped out of his arms and went through the balcony’s metal railing. Police later disproved that claim, noting that the dog would have to have been hurled about 40 feet into the air in order to have cleared the balcony and hit the street below, about six feet from the edge of the sidewalk. Detective Dennis Steele of the NYPD Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad subsequently took Cheung into custody on March 21. Th e defendant was ordered held on $10,000 bail and to return to court on April 4. He faces up to two years behind bars if convicted.
QC03302017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above