Dec. 9, 2018 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
LOCAL
CL ASSIFIEDS
PA GE 19
BY MARK HALLUM
Many Vietnam War veterans
returned home to cries of protest
— something that Manfred Edenhofer,
president of the Queens
chapter of the Vietnam Veterans
Association, believes does
not do justice to the individuals
who served either voluntarily or
through the draft.
“I didn’t know why we were
over there, but we were over there,
so let’s do our job,” Edenhofer
said. “I knew I was going to Vietnam,
didn’t know if I was coming
back. I lost my closest friend over
there … We didn’t want applause.
We just didn’t want to be called
baby killers. It was a strange war,
maybe we shouldn’t have been
over there, but we were.”
But the new Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Elmhurst Park —
for which ground was broken on
Nov. 29 — seeks to set a different
tone for remembering a generation
of men and women who feel
that served their country like any
other soldier in any other conflict,
but have been forgotten.
Supporters gave credit to the
chapter’s late president, Pat Toro,
for his work pushing for the memorial.
He died in 2014 from cancer
related to the chemical Agent
Orange, which was used during
the Vietnam War, in which Toro
served. His dying wish was to see
the memorial completed, after
spending years advocating for it.
He didn’t live to see Thursday’s
groundbreaking ceremony,
but retired servicemen from
Queens neighborhoods including
Bayside and Woodhaven took
part in the event.
Up to 370 Queens residents
were killed in the conflict and the
memorial will remember those
soldiers along with veterans such
DA RACE HEATS UP
Melinda Katz officially announces her campaign for Queens District Attorney. See story on Page 12.
Nonprofi t workers save
trapped Rosedale kitten
Winter festival back in Douglaston
VAo Cl.N 7G.7G NPou.NPou.b 4li9c 4lic9ation ation Vol. 7 No. 49 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT TIMESLEDGER.COM
Photo by Mark Hallum
BY BILL PARRY
The New York City Council is
planning to hold hearings looking
into the state and city’s deal to
bring Amazon to Long Island City.
City Council Speaker Corey
Johnson announced Friday that
the first oversight hearing will be
held Dec. 12 by the Economic Development
Committee, chaired by
city Councilman Paul Vallone, to
review how the deal was reached.
A second hearing will be
scheduled in January by the Finance
Committee, chaired by
Councilman Daniel Dromm, to
examine the $3 billion incentive
package that was prepared
by the state and city to lure the
e-commerce giant to the Long
Island City waterfront, as well as
whether it was a good deal for the
city and the state.
A third hearing will likely be
scheduled for February to examine
how Amazon’s HQ2 campus surrounding
the Anable Basin at the
end of 44th Road will impact Long
Island City and western Queens.
“I wish we didn’t have to have
BY NAEISHA ROSE
A couple, a friend and some Rosedale residents
joined forces to rescue a kitten trapped
in a pipe in a storm drain during a rainstorm
over the weekend, according to John Di Leonardo,
the president and anthrozoologist of
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Look no further than
Douglaston for a day of free
winter festivities next week.
The Douglaston Village
Winter Festival will be
back Dec. 15 from 12 p.m.
to 5 p.m. just in time for the
holiday season. The second
annual festival will take
place at the Douglaston Station
Plaza, next to the LIRR
station at 235th Street and
41st Avenue.
Visitors can enjoy ice
skating at the holiday ice
rink, carnival rides, live
music and dance performances
and other free,
family-friendly activities
in the village square. Holiday
gifts will also be available
for purchase from local
vendors and fifth-grade
student fundraisers.
The event will feature an
The Douglaston Village Winter
Festival is scheduled for Dec. 15.
Courtesy of Douglaston LDC
City Council
fi ghts against
Amazon deal
Offi cials break ground on memorial
Queens’ tribute to Vietnam veterans will come to Elmhurst Park in Fall 2019
Continued on Page 16 Continued on Page 18
Continued on Page 18 Continued on Page 16