Month: November 2016

Join the Whitestone community at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony tomorrow (Thursday, December 1st) at 4PM in the Harpells parking lot on 150th Street.. The event is sponsored by Councilman Paul Vallone, The Queens Chamber of Commerce, and the We Love Whitestone civic organization.

Just in time for the holidays, the YWCA of Queens is hosting its first food giveaway to combat hunger in the local community.

Flushing has been identified as one of the top 11 neighborhoods with an unmet need for food in New York, and one of two in Queens.

The food giveaway is sponsored by the Flushing-based NewBank in honor of its 10th anniversary.

Donations are courtesy of City Harvest and H-Mart, the national supermarket chain that actually started in Woodside.

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblyman Ron Kim and Councilman Peter Koo are expected to attend.

The event will be on Saturday, December 3rd from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 42-07 Parsons Blvd.

For more information, contact Yoon Hee Son at yson@ywcaqueens.org or 718-353-4553 ext. 27.

With Thanksgiving Day approaching, Councilman Peter Koo teamed up with Flushing-based organizations last Thursday to collect and distribute 300 turkeys.

The turkeys were given to community senior centers, public housing residents and faith-based institutions.

Sponsors of the turkey drive include Koo, the Flushing Chinese Business Association, Flushing Lions Club, H&Y Marketplace, and the principals of Epos Development, Henry Yeung and Michael Cheng.

State Senator Tony Avella will host mobile office hours this Sunday, November 20th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hillcrest Jewish Center.

Residents of Jamaica Estate, Fresh Meadows and nearby communities can meet with the senator and his staff to discuss any concerns.

“I look forward to meeting you and continuing to work together to improve our community,” Avella wrote in a mailer sent to constituents.

The event will be Avella’s sixth and final mobile office hours of the year. At previous mobile offices, constituents have brought up bioswales, the need for a supermarket in Whitestone and lack of traffic controls.

According to Avella’s office, each concern will be addressed.

Hillcrest Jewish Center is located at 183-02 Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows.

Congresswoman Grace Meng will host the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regularly at her Flushing office, 40-13 159th Street, corner of Northern Boulevard, to provide her constituents services without having to travel.

Through the program, a representitive from the VA will be available once a month to meet with local veterans to address issues or concerns about benefits or services.

“I am very excited to partner with the VA on this important initiative,” said Meng. “Now, local veterans will not be forced to hike to a VA facility in order to receive help or information about their benefits or claims. It will be a great convenience to area veterans and I’m proud to offer it. In the wake of Veterans Day, we are once again reminded about the tremendous debt of gratitude we owe to those who served in the armed forces. We can never thank them enough for their service and sacrifice to this great nation. I urge all my constituents who are veterans to take advantage of these special VA office hours.”

Constituents must make an appointment four days in advance. Contact the office at 718-358-MENG.

 

On Monday afternoon, an 11-year-old crossing Willets Point Boulevard and 148th Street in Whitestone was hit by a car, according to authorities.

Police say that he was hit at around 3 p.m. by a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 60-year-old woman.

EMS responded to the scene and took the boy to Elmhurst General Hospital, where he is in critical condition.

The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad is now on scene and investigating. No arrests have been made.

Chucks fans in Queens will soon have an option right in their borough.

Converse announced that it is coming to SkyView Center in Flushing on Thursday, November 17.

At 3,850 square feet, the store will be located next to Adidas on Level D. During its grand opening next week, Converse will offer a complementary navy duffel bag to its first 50 in-store customers.

“The addition of Converse certainly compliments our outlet store offering” said Sarah Chen, marketing manager at The Shops at SkyView. “We look forward to the renowned and classic brand not only enjoying a terrific grand opening but a successful debut as we head into the holiday shopping season and beyond.”

Converse joins other retailers like Nike, Target, Forever 21, Uniqlo and Nordstrom Rack at SkyView.

Last week, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and the Citizens Committee for New York City hosted a free reusable bag giveaway at Selfhelp Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center in Flushing.

According to Rozic, the giveaway was done as part of efforts to encourage reusable bag usage and raise awareness about a new city law that will place a 5-cent charge on single-use plastic and paper bags.

The law is set to take effect on February 15, 2017.

“With plastic waste posting a greater risk, today’s giveaway in Flushing with the help of Citizens Committee will positively impact our community,” said Rozic, who is on the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation. “It is important that we inform Queens residents about the various green initiatives available to help our environment and our economy.”

Under the plastic bag law, the 5-cent charge will be kept by store owners. Purchases made using SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as Food Stamps) or WIC (Women, Infants and Children) are exempt. Purchases at restaurants, liquor stores and food pantries are also exempt.

It’s a scary world out there.

Police say that at noon yesterday, a man entered the Flushing Bank at 44-43 Kissena Boulevard and robbed the bank.

He approached a bank teller and passed him a note demanding money. The teller complied, and the robber left with an unknown amount of cash.

The suspect is last seen here wearing a green and pray plaid jacket, black sneakers, a gray hoodie and a black hat.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.