4 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 12, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Firefi ghter suff ers
minor injuries in
Bayside house fi re
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A two-alarm Bayside house fi re
which broke out on Oct. 9 was brought
under control by fi refi ghters in just
under two hours, according to offi cials.
At 8:57 a.m., numerous Fire
Department units were called to a
two-story home located in the vicinity
of 202nd Street and 33rd Avenue,
FDNY offi cials said. Th e fi re was
brought under control at approximately
10:50 a.m.
One responding fi refi ghter suff ered
minor injuries and was transported
to North Shore University Hospital
in stable condition, according to the
FDNY.
FDNY offi cials could not confi rm
whether or not anyone was inside of
the building at the time of the fi re, but
they said there were no reported civilian
injuries.
Th e blaze originated in the basement
level of the home, according to an
FDNY spokesperson. Th e cause of the
fi re was accidental and electrical and a
working smoke alarm was installed at
the residence.
A total of 25 units and 106 fi refi ghters
responded to the scene.
Three Queens Aerosoles
locations are closing for good
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Aft er fi ling for bankruptcy, a shoe
retail chain is closing its Bayside,
Elmhurst and Astoria locations and
off ering customers some fi nal deals.
Aerosoles, a women’s shoe retailer,
fi led for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections
last month, according to reports.
Aerosoles announced a total of 74 stores
throughout the country will be closing
in result. Th e chain currently operates
over 300 stores worldwide.
Two of Aerosoles’ Queens shops —
in Astoria at 30-29 Steinway St. and in
Elmhurst’s Queens Center Mall at 90-15
Queens Blvd. — will close sometime
in December. Th e Bayside store, located
in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center
at 212-47 26th Ave., will operate until
Dec. 31.
Currently, each store is off ering
between 30 percent and 50 percent off
discounts on shoes.
The Bayside Aerosoles is one of the three Queens locations that will shutter for good.
Even with these closures, the
Aerosoles shop in Forest Hills at 107-22
Continental Ave. will remain operational
for the foreseeable future.
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
If you have further questions, call
the Astoria store at 718-267-6332; the
Bayside store at 718-224-0319; or the
Elmhurst store at 718-271-6700.
Lawmakers urge MTA to restore Bayside-Jamaica bus line
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Local leaders are calling for the return
of a bus route connecting Bayside and
Jamaica in a one-seat ride.
Councilman Barry Grodenchik and
Assemblymembers Nily Rozic and David
Weprin are urging the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA) to
restore the Q75 bus, which connected the
Oakland Gardens section of the neighborhood
with Jamaica’s subways via Hillside
Avenue, 188th Street and 73rd Avenue.
Th e bus route was eliminated in 2010.
Th e lawmakers argued that the route’s
removal took away a valuable one-seat
ride for northeast Queens residents, who
already have very few transportation
options.
Th e change was especially hard on the
area’s substantial senior population, who
may be physically unable to commute
between two buses to access the subway
system, lawmakers said.
“In my district, we have no subway
service and rely on MTA buses to get
around,” Grodenchik said. “Th e restoration
of the Q75 bus line would greatly
improve the quality of life for seniors,
students and residents across eastern
Queens. It’s the MTA’s duty to prioritize
restoration in areas where bus service
is so critical. More transit options for
the people of eastern Queens need to be
funded to ensure our borough continues
to progress.”
Rozic said the MTA has work to do
to improve service and accountability
“across the system.”
“In the many Queens neighborhoods
without subway access, restoring Q75 bus
service is integral to properly serving the
community — from students to seniors
who rely on mass transit in their daily
lives,” Rozic said.
Weprin pointed out the route’s cancellation
was part of the transportation
agency’s 2010 service cuts totaling $93
million, which left the borough with “less
than ideal bus service,” the Assemblyman
said.
“Th e MTA has a responsibility to
ensure that all residents in New York City
have access to a public transportation
option, especially those who live in transit
deserts,” he said.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who
represents sections of northwestern
Manhattan and serves as chair of the
Council’s Transportation Committee,
said he was committed to working with
the Queens lawmakers to tackle the borough’s
transit woes.
“Our transportation system is the lifeblood
of the city and stimulates our economy,”
Rodriguez said. “Th e Q75 bus connected
hard-working middle class residents
to work, recreation, healthcare and commerce.
Losing this route is not good for New
Yorkers, so it’s not good for New York.”
Roman Tiraspolsky/Shutterstock.com
According to a northeast Queens bus
study conducted by the MTA in 2014,
most customers aff ected by the bus service
cuts have found transportation
alternatives, and nearly 1,000 people
used the Q75 bus route on an average
weekday.
Stephanie Burgos-Veras, a community
organizer at the advocacy group Riders
Alliance, thanked the lawmakers for
pushing for an improved eastern Queens
bus network.
“Bus service is a lifeline for communities
far from the subway, and for elderly
and disabled New Yorkers who are poorly
served by other kinds of transit,” Burgos-
Veras said. “As the city continues to grow,
the MTA should look at the existing bus
network and take opportunities to restore
lost service and update routes to meet
people’s needs today.”
An MTA spokesperson said the Q75
route had the fourth-lowest ridership in
the city, which is why it was chosen to
be eliminated. Residents in the neighborhood
looking to access Jamaica can take
the Q17, Q27, Q30, Q43 or Q88 buses, the
spokesperson continued.
Photos by Robert Stridiron/RHS News
EMS remove a fi refi ghter from the scene of a
second-alarm fi re in Bayside on Oct. 9.