New stroke center opens in Whitestone

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May is American Stroke Month, and to highlight the important need to care for those who suffer from strokes, The Grand Healthcare System is opening the Walter Strauss Stroke Center at 157-15 19th Avenue.

According to The Grand, about 800,000 Americans suffer from strokes each year. The new Walter Strauss center will house a professional nursing staff that specializes in stroke rehabilitation and recovery, with a focus on each patient’s ability to walk, eat, dress and communicate.

“Stroke has directly impacted our family, and we understand how overwhelming it can be for individuals and families,” said Jeremy Strauss, CEO of The Grand Healthcare System. “Our ultimate goal is to make The Walter Strauss Stroke Center the gold standard for stroke rehabilitation in New York City.”

Strauss, the grandson of the center’s namesake, said his grandfather suffered through a stroke, but he saw how important after-stroke care was. That played a role in his decision to open a new stroke center.

Elmhurst student wins Grace Meng’s art contest

Meng Art Contest Winner Photo

Samiya Fagun, a senior at Newtown High School, has won Congresswoman Grace Meng’s fourth annual congressional district art contest.

Starting this June, Fagun’s winning artwork, along with winning entries from districts across the country, will be displayed for a year at the Cannon Tunnel in the United States Capitol building.

Fagun and one of her parents will also be awarded roundtrip plane tickets to Washington, D.C. to join Meng at the opening ceremonies of the national art competition in June.

“I congratulate Samiya Fagun for winning this year’s art contest and look forward to her winning artwork representing our Congressional district in the nation’s capital,” Meng said.

Meng announced the winner at the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Fagun is the first student of Bangladeshi descent to win the competition.

The first runner-up in the competition was Ashley No, a student at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside. The second runner-up was Ruotao Ma, a student at the Windsor School in Flushing. Lastly, Alexis Martinez, a student at St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, was the third runner-up.

A total of 46 students from 13 schools, including Townsend Harris High School, Flushing High School and John Bowne High School, participated in the contest.

Fagun, an 18-year-old Elmhurst resident, won with a watercolor piece called “Moments of Life.” She plans to attend City College in the fall.

Cops say thief used taser to rob his victim

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Police are looking for a suspect wanted for tasing a 23-year-old man and stealing his belongings.

Authorities say on the night of April 6, two men approached the 23-year-old victim in front of 31-50 137th Street. The two suspects tased him, and then stole the victim’s iPhone 6, Apple Watch and his wallet.

A little later, one of the suspects was caught by video making a purchase using the victim’s stolen credit card.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

Police search for suspect who stole a TV

Flushing_burglary

Authorities are looking for a man who reportedly stole a television.

The suspect in question entered Desired Taste Restaurant, located at 35-20 Farrington Street, removed a television and then fled the scene. Police say the man entered the restaurant at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 2.

Police describe the suspect as between 45 to 50 years old, male, black and wearing a light-colored jacket, light-colored jeans and black sneakers.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

 

Flushing man charged in identify theft scam

A 29-year-old Flushing man is accused of allegedly buying a car with a $47,321 loan he took out in another individuals name as well as siphoning money from the accounts of other individuals to pay for the loan payments and insurance.

According to Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown, Jin Guang, 29, of Flushing, was denied a loan for a car at Hyundai of Long Island City and returned the next day with another individual who agreed to co-sign for the loan. The loan was approved in the amount of 47,000.

About six months later, a New Jersey man filed a report with his local police department, claiming that someone fraudulently took a loan out in his name at Hyundai of Long Island City dealership in the amount of $47,000.

It’s additionally alleged that a mother and daughter who shared an account at Dime Savings Bank noticed several unauthorized charges on their account, including a $2,000 payment towards Hyundai towards the loan and a $950 credit card payment on an account in Guang’s name.

Last month, another victim came forward and reported that his debit card had a charge of $590 paid to Progressive Insurance for the Hyundai that Guang purchased.

“The main defendant is accused of orchestrating several very complicated and devious plots to fraudulently acquire goods for himself by using the hard-earned money and good credit acquired by others,” Brown said in a statement. “The victims in this case include a car dealership in Queens, a New Jersey man, a mother and daughter and a property owner in Flushing, to name a few. Each victim’s life has been thrown into credit and banking chaos due to the defendant’s alleged greed.”

Police arrest Guang as a result of a routine motor vehicle stop in Flushing on March 28. According to the complaint, at the time of his arrest, police found a New York State benefits card on the driver of the vehicle, Qiu R. Chen, a 26-year-old Flushing woman, that had a different name and picture on it. A Citibank Diamond Preferred Mastercard, Visa card and a Macy’s credit card in the same name as the New York State benefits card was also found on Chen. In addition to the suspected fraudulent documents, police recovered ketamine from the car.

Both Chen and Guang were placed under arrest at the scene. According to a release from Brown’s office, Guang and Chen were each charged in a criminal complaint with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and driving by unlicensed operator. In a separate complaint, Guang was additionally charged with second-, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, second- and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first- and second-degree identity theft, first-degree falsifying business records and petit larceny.

Bail was set at $100,000 for Guang and $5,000 for Chen and both defendants are ordered to return to court on April 12, 2016. If convicted, Jin faces up to 15 years in prison and Chen up to 4 years in prison.