Thanks to the Dwarfe Giraffe league. True community leaders

NE Queens mobilizes with major rescue effort

Photo by Christina Santucci

Peggy Cerroni shows youngster Brianna Wilson the box where shoes were collected.

By Joe Anuta

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/45/whitestonestorm_all_2012_11_08_q.html
Once again the Dwarf Giraffe league in Whitestone showed what a true community group is all about.

Residents in Flushing, Whitestone and College Point were eager to help their neighbors to the south whose homes were wiped out by Superstorm Sandy, but gas shortages and the logistics of transporting a large amount of goods made the prospect farfetched until several groups stepped forward with big plans — and big trailers to match.

Stephen Wilson spent part of the week driving clothing collected by his son’s Boy Scout troop down to the storm-ravaged neighborhoods of Queens, like Breezy Point, much of the Rockaways and Broad Channel.
The College Point resident has a large 12-by-6-foot enclosed trailer that proved handy, but after arriving with the goods, he realized people needed more than warm clothing.
“It was devastation everywhere. It was people wandering around wondering what to do,” he said. “They were looking for cleaning products, shovels, dry food, paper towels and blankets.”

Wilson knew that others in the northeast Queens area wanted to help but did not really know how, so he contacted the head of the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League, a sports organization for Queens youngsters in which Wilson is involved, and used its massive network of families to get out the word that the league would be having a drive Sunday.
“It started out slow Sunday morning, and after I believe church was done, people just started pouring in,” Wilson said. “The amount of items donated was unbelievable.”
It soon became clear that even Wilson’s trailer would be woefully inadequate.
On a whim, he called his stepfather, an NYPD mechanic, and asked if the shop had any extra vehicles to help.
Soon, a 20-foot box truck arrived at the Dwarf Giraffe gym, at 149-50 15th Road.
It was filled as well.
Wilson and others drove the items down to the Aqueduct Racino, where the Red Cross was sorting and staging items for delivery, and also to the Breezy Point Volunteer Fire Department, which was grateful for the items, which included $1,000 worth of medical supplies donated by an area Wallgreens.

Greater Whitestone shows that involvement in the community makes it better for all

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/29/wallgreenspaint_wt_2012_07_19_q.html



The result of a bizarre act of vandalism was finally cleaned up in Whitestone, ending an eyesore’s reign over 14th Avenue.
For more than a year, the exterior of the Walgreens on 14th Avenue and Cross Island Parkway had been pockmarked with dents incurred in a mysterious act of nighttime aggression.

READ MORE CLICK ON LINK BELOW:

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/29/wallgreenspaint_wt_2012_07_19_q.html

Whitestone rapist still at large

Whitestone residents last to know.




http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/31/dnaclearsname_ne_2012_08_02_q.html#feedback

Charges of attempted rape were quietly dropped against a Bayside man after he said DNA evidence proved he was not the man responsible for the crime.
“I’m not that guy. I’m not that monster,” said 41-year-old Kenneth King, who was incarcerated for nine months between his September arrest and May release.
The Queens district attorney’s office officially dropped his case July 10 after DNA found on a sweater of the victim did not match his, according to King and his lawyer.
The DA declined to comment for this story, but King said his lawyer had long requested a DNA test but did not get his wish until a judge forced the issue at a court date six months into his incarceration.
King is currently working to put his life back together after the ordeal, which he said is not easy.
“I’ve never had anxiety, never had insomnia before,” he said. “Now it’s there constantly.”
King formerly was a traveling chef who would work at summer destinations all along the East Coast, but moved back to Bayside and worked as a plumber in order to be able to take care of his 90-year-old grandmother.
She did not take King’s incarceration lightly.
On the morning of Sept. 28, a 33-year-old Asian woman was walking along the north service road of the Cross Island Parkway near 148th Street.
According to eyewitness Brian Teichman, a former U.S. Marine who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a man approached and shoved the woman in the foliage and leapt in after her.
Teichman rushed over to the edge of the road and started shouting, which scared the perpetrator off.
King said he was with his grandmother at Flushing Hospital that morning. She had hurt her leg in a fall and he had stayed up all night to care for her.
Instead of reporting to his job as he normally would have and having a documented alibi, he called his boss to request the morning off, he said.
It was a decision that racked his grandmother with guilt, he said.
“She felt that if she hadn’t fallen down, then I would have been at work,” King said.
King’s lawyer, Scott DuFault, said the case was built on weak identification to begin with.
Following the attack, a police sketch was plastered around the neighborhood, and eventually King was asked to come into the precinct.
The Marine who witnessed the attack was asked to pick King out of a lineup, but struggled between two men before fingering King, according to DuFault.
“It was really a tentative identification,” DuFault said.
Once a test was done and King’s DNA was found not to match DNA found on the woman’s sweater after the attacker grabbed her, King was released from Rikers Island and then his case was ultimately dropped.
But he wishes the DA had made a public admission about the case.
“If you make a mistake, you man up about it,” he said. “My life will never be the same.”
The judge in the case and the Queens County Clerk’s office said they could not comment on the case.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.

©2012 Community Newspaper Group

THE SUSPECTED RAPIST IN WHITESTONE IS STILL AT LARGE.

ALERT!!!!

THE SUSPECTED RAPIST IN WHITESTONE IS STILL AT LARGE.

THE MAN ORIGINALY ARRESTED WAS EXONERATED BY DNA EVIDENCE.

READ BELOW;

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fnew_york&id=8748045

Jeff Pegues

Eyewitness News NEW YORK (WABC) --

 

Kenneth King gets emotional when he talks about his 91-year-old grandmother, and the months he spent locked up unable to see her.

This is time he will never get back.

"If this case didn't happen, she probably wouldn't have gone into depression and I could have been with her every step of the way," said King.

Instead, he was behind bars at Rikers, IDed by a witness who picked him out of a lineup.
He was charged with the attempted rape of a woman last September near a bust stop along the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone.

A crime in progress was stopped by a former Marine who happened to be in the area.
A police sketch led police to the 41-year-old.

For 9 months, that question was hanging over his head. The Queens DA's office pressed forward with their case against him. It took 7 months before a DNA test was ordered.
  
"The case was dismissed - the DNA exonerates him. It shows that he was excluded as a person who grabbed that woman's shirt," said District Attorney Scott Dufault.
 
However, now King says he's living another type of nightmare, trying to clear his name. He acknowledges a troubled past in his 20s including an attempted robbery, which he served time for.
---

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Queens Crap: West Nile breeding ground in Whitestone

Queens Crap: West Nile breeding ground in Whitestone

Town Hall with Senator Avella

Senator Avella will be co-hosting a Town Hall for the Entire Whitestone community.

It will take place at

PS 193 on May 17th from 7 to 9 PM.


So far we have confirmed the representation of 11 agencies including Transportation, Environmental protection, Education, and Sanitation to name a few.

ALL OF WHITESTONE IS INVITED PLEASE BRING A FRIEND, BRING A NEIGHBOR.

Another issue our community has to fight for.

http://queenscourier.com/2012/whitestone-bridge-project-angers-homeowners/

Homeowners in Malba Gardens are feeling the toll of the $109 million project to widen the Whitestone Bridge.




“Our homes in Malba Gardens, we take great pride in them. We put a lot of money into these homes, and the last thing we want to see is our values decrease from this expansion,” said resident Antonio Melone. “That is my domain, and I will do everything to protect it. And every resident in Malba Gardens is willing to do the same. If it takes for us to protest on that bridge, we will do that.”



According to MTA Bridges and Tunnels, the project will provide wider 12-foot lanes on the bridge with new emergency breakdown lanes. Reconstruction efforts also promise a brand new playground and new location for Francis Lewis Park, which is expected to open by early May.







But while construction may mean brand new swings, a jungle gym and newly-planted trees for the neighborhood’s children, parents are saying the overall picture is far from perfect.



“The bridge is actually moving 18 feet closer to the homes,” Melone said. “We also lost a lot of trees that were 40, 50 years old. There are a lot of issues and concerns that we have about this.”



Resident Alfredo Centola said losing the trees has not helped alleviate the growingly-noticeable noise issues since the project’s groundbreaking. The construction, he fears, will also lead to increased traffic and pollution. “As of right now, it’s an inconvenience, and there is a negative impact with the noise,” Centola said. “We just want to make sure when the construction is over that they’ll build an eight-foot wall to mitigate the noise.”



Malba Gardens homeowners said there was talk earlier about building a barrier to block out racket from the bridge, but officials said they could not verify the possibility due to the project’s premature stage.



That’s unacceptable. We can’t wait until the end of the project to know,” Centola said. “They’re stringing us along.”



MTA Bridges and Tunnels officials said construction on the Queens end of the bridge began in the fall. Ongoing work will take place for over two more years.



By Melissa Chan mchan@queenscourier.com



Tags: Francis Lewis Park, Malba Gardens, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, Whitestone, whitestone bridge

New Planes

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/14/whitehouseretail_wt_2012_04_05_q.html

Francis Lew Park waits for new play area in May

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/13/whitestoneplaygroundimminent_wt_2012_03_29_q.html

Northeast Queens commuters might be pulling out their hair over two more years of ongoing construction on the Whitestone Bridge, but for children the important work is nearly complete, thanks to a new playground set to open in early May.




MTA Bridges and Tunnels announced that the playground in Francis Lewis Park will be reborn on better real estate boasting new equipment, just in time for spring.





“We are proud to be part of this close-knit community and work hard to continue to be a good neighbor,” said Ray Webb, the MTA general manager for the bridge. “We hope that the new playground will bring smiles to all who use it for many years to come.”



The playground will be located east of the bocce courts in Francis Lewis Park, a step up from the old location nearly directly under the bridge, according to the MTA.



The site includes new swings, a climbing boulder, sprinkler-like fixtures to douse any nearby children and a sensory play area, where youngsters can investigate different physical phenomena. The amenities might not be as exciting for adults, but new benches that the MTA plans to install might be a good place to sit and view the world.



The concession is part of a $107 million project to widen the Whitestone Bridge over a 3 1/2 year construction period. The extra space will provide room for an emergency lane.



As part of the construction process, the Queens side of the bridge will lose a lane of traffic for a year beginning this summer.



In addition, the northbound 3rd Avenue exit will also be shuttered around the same time, according to the MTA.



The closure will last for two years and traffic attempting to exit the expressway will be routed through local streets, the MTA said.



The two contractors working on the project, E.E. Cruz and Queens’ Tully Construction, will also be responsible for making structural improvements to the support structure of the span, which connects the borough to the Bronx.



Reporter Joe Anuta

Avella hopes to save Whitestone lot for potential park

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/12/whitestoneforeclosure_wt_2012_03_22_q.html



The courts have taken the next step in foreclosure proceedings against the owners of a vacant Whitestone property, but a lawmaker hopes to intervene before the lot hits the auction block.




Northeast Queens civic leaders would rather see the 6-acre cluster of undeveloped land, along 150th Street near 5th Avenue, turned into sports fields, which is why state Sen. Tony Avella is hoping to snag the property.



“If it’s done properly, I absolutely think it is a good idea,” said Al Centola, president of the Malba Gardens Civic Association.





Centola has had his eye on the property for several years after the company known as Whitestone Jewels LLC failed to pay its mortgage.



As a result, in 2007 La Jolla Bank began foreclosure proceedings against the company. In 2010, the lender was bought by One West Bank, the institution currently foreclosing on the property.



Late last year Queens Supreme Court Judge Orin Kitzes ruled in One West Bank’s favor.



A lawyer was recently assigned by the state courts to find out exactly how much is owed on the lot.



It was not clear when he was assigned, but Friday afternoon when a call was placed to the lawyer known as a referee, he had not even been informed of his assignment to the property.



After the referee determines how much money is owed, he will submit a report to Kitzes. The bank will ask for a ruling to move ahead with an auction and the referee will put a notice in the paper, according to a court clerk.



But this is where Centola hopes Avella will intervene.



The lawmaker is hoping to work with the bank to circumvent an auction.



“We are talking with the bank,” Avella said. “I want the city to acquire that for a park.”



It was not clear whether Avella’s discussions have paid off, since the bank cannot ask for what is known as a judgment of foreclosure until after the referee’s report.



But Avella said he wished the community had been behind the plan when he first proposed it as a city councilman.



Before Whitestone Jewels, the property was owned by the Catholic Charities Diocese of Brooklyn, according to documents from the city Department of Finance.



The Catholic organization ran a youth camp on the property, but in 2006 decided to put the property up for sale.



In September 2006, the diocese sold the property to Whitestone Jewels for $23.3 million, according to Finance Department documents, but Avella said that sale never had to happen.



“I could have negotiated with Catholic Charities and would have been in a much better position,” Avella said.



reporter Joe Anuta

Malba Gardens wants sign telling tractors to stay out

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/11/lastexittomalba_wt_2012_03_15_q.html


A group of Whitestone residents want the city to put up a simple sign that would stop tractor trailers from barreling through their neighborhood, but the city said no 10 years ago and the answer still stands.




Alfredo Centola first brought up the idea to the city Department of Transportation about a decade ago.





Malba Gardens Exit 3 is the last exit before the Whitestone Bridge. In addition to serving the Malba Gardens neighborhood just east of the bridge, it can also serve as the last escape for confused motorists who want to avoid the toll and for commercial trucks seeking a shortcut to downtown Whitestone, according to Centola.



“It is a huge issue,” Centola said, speaking at the corner of 5th Avenue and the Whitestone Expressway service road. “It has gotten a lot worse over the last 10 years because of all the development.”



The trucks are supposed to follow a designated truck route into Whitestone that involves getting off the Cross Island Parkway and taking either 14th or 20th avenues, he said.



But Centola and other neighbors, like Sylvia Kanellos, who was walking her boxer along 5th Avenue, can testify that truckers do not always follow the rules.



“They are big and bulky,” she said. “When they make turns and you want to walk near the street, they don’t stop.”



Last year a tractor trailer plowed right into a fire hydrant, she said, and then backed up and ruptured its gas tank, she said.



According to Centola, a sea of diesel fuel flooded the area.



The city Department of Transportation confirmed that 5th Avenue is not a truck route and said it looked at the exit in 2010 and determined that a sign was not needed. The department also recently received another request from Centola and will assess whether a sign is now needed, the DOT said.



But Centola said things will only get worse.



In the spring, the city is set to begin a series of renovations on the Whitestone Bridge. Construction on the bridge means possible lane closures.



And that means traffic backup, he said.



When traffic starts to get slow on the Whitestone Bridge, knowledgeable commuters ditch their plans and take 5th Avenue or the Cross Island Parkway all the way across Whitestone to the Throgs Neck Bridge, he said.



As proof, early last week an accident shut down the Whitestone Bridge in both directions and there were backups to get over both crossings. Adding tractor trailers to the mix will make the neighborhood even less safe for children and families, Centola warned

Malba Gardens wants sign telling tractors to stay out

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/11/lastexittomalba_wt_2012_03_15_q.html

A group of Whitestone residents want the city to put up a simple sign that would stop tractor trailers from barreling through their neighborhood, but the city said no 10 years ago and the answer still stands.


Alfredo Centola first brought up the idea to the city Department of Transportation about a decade ago.

Malba Gardens Exit 3 is the last exit before the Whitestone Bridge. In addition to serving the Malba Gardens neighborhood just east of the bridge, it can also serve as the last escape for confused motorists who want to avoid the toll and for commercial trucks seeking a shortcut to downtown Whitestone, according to Centola.

“It is a huge issue,” Centola said, speaking at the corner of 5th Avenue and the Whitestone Expressway service road. “It has gotten a lot worse over the last 10 years because of all the development.”

The trucks are supposed to follow a designated truck route into Whitestone that involves getting off the Cross Island Parkway and taking either 14th or 20th avenues, he said.But Centola and other neighbors, like Sylvia Kanellos, who was walking her boxer along 5th Avenue, can testify that truckers do not always follow the rules.“They are big and bulky,” she said. “When they make turns and you want to walk near the street, they don’t stop.”

Last year a tractor trailer plowed right into a fire hydrant, she said, and then backed up and ruptured its gas tank, she said.According to Centola, a sea of diesel fuel flooded the area.


city Department of Transportation confirmed that 5th Avenue is not a truck route and said it looked at the exit in 2010 and determined that a sign was not needed. The department also recently received another request from Centola and will assess whether a sign is now needed, the DOT said.

But Centola said things will only get worse.

In the spring, the city is set to begin a series of renovations on the Whitestone Bridge. Construction on the bridge means possible lane closures.

And that means traffic backup, he said.

When traffic starts to get slow on the Whitestone Bridge, knowledgeable commuters ditch their plans and take 5th Avenue or the Cross Island Parkway all the way across Whitestone to the Throgs Neck Bridge, he said.

As proof, early last week an accident shut down the Whitestone Bridge in both directions and there were backups to get over both crossings. Adding tractor trailers to the mix will make the neighborhood even less safe for children and families, Centola warned.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.

©2012 Community Newspaper Group