12
QUEENS WEEKLY, JAN. 27, 2019
Joseph Sokolowski and Jeremy Valarezo, partners and victims of an anti-gay hate
crime in Jackson Heights, pose after a press conference with community leaders.
Hate crime
class A misdemeanor.
Hoque, the alleged
perpetrator of the hate
crime, was given a mere
desk appearance ticket by
the NYPD.
In Jackson Heights,
hone to one of the largest
LGBTQ communities in
New York, such hate and
violence should never be
tolerated — least of all by
the NYPD, according to
Dromm’s office.
“We stand behind each
other in Queens,” said
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, who joined
City Councilman Rory
Lancman, Melissa Mark-
Viverito, and other elected
officials in showing their
concern and support for
the couple.
“Society has come a
long way in recent decades
towards reducing
hatred and discrimination
against gay people,” said
Tina Arniotis, co-chair of
Queens Pride. “However, it
will be a while — if ever —
before anti-gay sentiment
disappears completely and
this only provides more
fuel for us leaders and
advocates to educate and
fight for LGBTQ rights.”
Additional reporting
by Alejandra O’Connell-
Domenech.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Continued from Page 1
Photo by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech
Protest
parks…our parks!” as they
concluded with their final
message: “Speak your
mind, reach out, make your
voice heard, after all power
comes with unity.”
Each year, ninth grade
students in the Living Environment
class work with
the Jamaica Bay Wildlife
Refuge, which is part of the
National Parks System, to
study ecological systems
and human impact in a
real-world setting. At the
conclusion of every semester,
students present their
findings at the Visitors
Center as part of their final
presentation of learning.
“The Jamaica Wildlife
Refuge has given us opportunities,
new learning,
and a chance to express our
carefully chosen ideas,”
said Hannah Clarke. “Jamaica
Bay and its rangers
provided our schools with
text and other material that
we were able to focus our
learning on. We must act
out to protect our beautiful
environment, our people,
and our students. Though
the government is shut
down, our voices will not
be shut down as well.”
Dubbed “A School for a
Sustainable City,” MELS —
located at 91-30 Metropolitan
Ave. — serves approximately
840 students in grades six
through 12. The school offers
its students a rigorous college
preparatory program,
with particular emphasis
on science, technology, and
sustainability.
Students touched on the
issues of plastic pollution,
combined sewage overflow,
and the importance
of recycling.
Sarah Perez, 14, was one
of 30 students selected to
present her project, a combined
section garbage can
to make recycling easier
for people at home, to prevent
plastic from building
up on sidewalks and in the
waterways.
“We got our research
here to create our project,”
said Perez. “I was really
excited about it, but when I
got the news of the government
shutdown it made me
really sad. I really do hope it
the Refuge opens again because
it’s a really nice park,
but with the way the government
is going, I’m not sure
it’ll open anytime soon.”
Naadia Mohamed, 14,
said she hopes their rally
made a change today and
the center reopens.
“We came here to present
our solution to environmental
problems and
we’ve been developing it
for three months now, it’s a
shame that we didn’t get to
present our solution today,”
said Mohamed. “I hope that
because of our rally, it will
open and will have an effect
on their decision.”
Continued from Page 1
Clearview
to create a second travel
lane on the southbound
Clearview Expressway’s
off-ramp at Exit 2 (Union
Turnpike).
Construction of the
ramp began Jan. 17 to help
improve traffic flow and enhance
safety. It is scheduled
to be completed this summer,
according to the DOT.
“Governor Cuomo directed
us to identify improvements
that will bring
big benefits to local communities,
and widening this
ramp will do just that,” said
Paul Karas, the state DOT’s
acting commissioner. “Adding
a lane here will improve
traffic mobility, ease
congestion and enhance
access to Queens, making
it safer and easier for commuters
and area businesses
to get themselves and their
products where they need
to go.”
The DOT said the existing
single-lane ramp
doesn’t adequately accommodate
the large volume
of traffic using it, creating
backups onto the expressway,
including trucks making
local deliveries.
The Exit 2 ramp will
be widened, creating two
lanes beginning at the top
of the ramp where traffic
exits the expressway. At the
end of the ramp at Union
Turnpike, the left lane will
split into two eastboundturning
lanes and the right
lane will provide access to
westbound Union Turnpike
to improve traffic flow, according
to the DOT.
The DOT will also improve
pedestrian safety
installing sidewalk curb
ramps compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities
Act at the Union Turnpike
intersection. The new
drainage structures will
be installed where they are
needed, while others will
be cleaned.
The ramp’s riding surface
will be enhanced with
an asphalt overlay. Additionally,
landscaping improvements
will be made,
including the planting of a
dozen trees and more than
200 shrubs. A new, modern
traffic signal will be installed
to accommodate the
new lane configuration.
State Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic said Queens residents
and commuters will
benefit greatly from the infrastructure
upgrades that
will go a long way in improving
traffic congestion.
“I am also pleased to
hear that this project prioritizes
pedestrian safety in
the surrounding area that
will be in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities
Act,” said Rozic. “I
thank the NYS Department
of Transportation for their
efforts and look forward to
the project’s completion.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4526.
Continued from Page 1
Gymboree
The company indicated
that the bankruptcy filing
intends to “facilitate
an orderly wind-down of
all of its Gymboree and
Crazy 8 store locations
and operations, while
continuing to pursue a
going-concern sale of its
Janie and Jack business
and a sale of the intellectual
property and online
platform for Gymboree.”
At this time, it is not
known when the stores,
including a Gymboree
clothing store location at
Glendale’s Shops at Atlas
Park, will close. The children’s
clothing retailer
was one of the original
businesses when Atlas
Park celebrated its grand
opening in April 2006.
Stores will still be
accepting gift cards for
their locations for the
next 30 days.
The Gymboree Play &
Music locations in Forest
Hills and Bayside, which
provide classes play, music
and art classes for
parents and children up
to 5-years-old, are not affected
by the closures.
Gymboree Play & Music
was sold by Gymboree
Group Inc. in 2016.
“We have tremendous
appreciation for the hard
work of our dedicated employees
and their commitment
to Gymboree Group
and our customers,” said
Shaz Kahng, Gymboree
Group CEO. “We are also
incredibly grateful for the
many years of support by
our vendors. And, finally,
we thank the customers of
the Gymboree, Janie and
Jack and Crazy 8 brands
for their loyalty – our
teams have been proud to
serve you since Gymboree
was first started as a
provider of mom-and-baby
classes in 1976.”
This is the second time
in recent history that the
Gymboree Group has filed
for bankruptcy. In the summer
of 2017, the Gymboree
Group filed for bankruptcy,
leading to the closure of 350
of their stores.
TimesLedger reached
out to the Glendale Gymboree
store for comment,
but received only an automated
message that employees
were too busy to
pick up the phone.
Reach reporter Emily
Davenport by e-mail at
edavenport@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 224-5863 ext.
236.
Continued from Page 1
Kyvallos
Queens College Athletics
Hall of Fame.
In addition to her success
on the court, Kyvallos
was at the forefront of the
Title IX movement and positioned
women’s basketball
on the national sports
media scene.
“Her pioneering legacy
is an everyday part
of our student-athletes’
experience as they compete
on the college’s
Lucille Kyvallos basketball
court, the first such
court in New York City to
be named for a woman,”
Félix V. Matos Rodríguez
said.
Reach editor Zach
Gewelb by e-mail at
zgewelb@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4539.
Continued from Page 4
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