Month: April 2019

The Asian American Center at Queens College will kick off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month on Wednesday, May 1 from 12:15 to 2 p.m. at the Q-Side Lounge.

The event will begin with the announcement of the AAC’s scholarship recipients for 2019, followed by Recognition Awards for Mr. David Ames and Mrs. Eugenia Ames, as well as Professor Yunzhong Shu.

The AAC’s Student Council Members will then make brief reflections on being Asian American.

The guest speaker for the event will be Carl Takei, Esq., a senior staff attorney at ACLU’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality. He will address broad issues on Asian Americans, people of color, race and white supremacy.

Lunch will be served. RSVP is required by April 29th.

Call 718-997-3050 or email QC.AAC@qc.cuny.edu.

After a record-high 8,500 votes in District 19’s participatory budgeting process, three projects emerged victorious.

Here are the results and winners of funding for Fiscal Year 2020:

• PS 129 Gymnasium Renovation – 2,009 votes
  • This project will fund a full renovation of the school’s existing gym space to enhance educational opportunities in the safest way possible for the P.S. 129 school community.
• Green Biome at Bayside High School – 1,807 votes
  • This project will fund a Green Biome, which will provides avenues for hands-on learning about hydroponics, solar energy, recycling and urban gardening.
• NYPD Security Cameras – 1,574 votes
  • This project will fund and install four NYPD security cameras in District 19, which are meant to enhance crime prevention.

Councilman Paul Vallone has introduced a bill to establish a Director of Ferry Operations under the Department of Transportation.

“Delegating a Director of Ferry Services to manage our waterways will ensure that we chart a smart, fiscally responsible course to an expanded and reliable ferry system,” Vallone says.

The position would be appointed by the DOT commissioner. The responsibilities would include operation and maintenance of ferries, ferry route development and evaluation, and identifying potential expansion sites for ferry service.

EDC officials have told Vallone they are open to conversations about the position. NYC Ferry is currently run by EDC, not DOT.

On Saturday, April 20, from 4 to 6 p.m., Cody Ann Herrmann of FlushingBayandCreep will be hosting a walking tour of Flushing Creek.

Here’s a description of the event:

This walk takes place in ‘the valley of ashes,’ as referenced in the novel ‘The Great Gatsby,’ and will trace City owned property under the Van Wyck Expressway. We will discuss water quality, local history, and plans for new development in Willets Point and downtown Flushing. We will also demystify parts of Willets Point and Flushing Creek.

Herrmann is an artist and community organizer. She has created a series of projects critiquing policy related to land use and environmental planning for the areas surrounding Flushing Bay and Creek.

The tour begins at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 126th Street, under the Mets-Willets Point 7 train station.

RSVP for the event here.

Later this afternoon, author Jeff Kinney, who wrote the bestselling series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” will speak at two branches of the Queens Public Library.

Kinney will visit the Flushing Library branch at 2:30 p.m., and then stop by the Bellerose Library Knitting Club at 4:15 p.m.

The author is also promoting a new book during these visits: “Diary of An Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal.”

The book is written from the perspective of Rowley Jefferson the best friend of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” protagonist Greg Heffley.

According to QPL, the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series is among the most popular books in the library system, taking the first nine stops among the top 10 children’s books in 2018.

More than 200 million copies of the books in his series have been sold globally.

Transit improvements are coming to Northeast Queens commuters, according to two state lawmakers.

Assembly members Nily Rozic and Ed Braunstein announced that as part of the 2019-2020 NYS budget, LIRR riders from NE Queens will receive a 20% reduction for their monthly pass.

That will include commuters traveling to and from these stations: Auburndale, Bayside, Broadway, Douglaston, Flushing-Main St, Little Neck and Murray Hill.

The funding for this fare discount was allocated from the Outer Borough Transit Fund, which was created by the State Legislature to assist those living in areas with limited transit options.

A $3 million boost in funding has also been added to express bus service, and $6 million will go to first mile-last mile connections.

“Relief in the outer boroughs is long overdue for Northeast Queens transit riders who are far too familiar with increasing fares and travel times,” Rozic says. “As part of this year’s state budget, it was critical for us to ensure that the needs of our communities were not neglected and that our transit system is fully funded.”

Queens College is hosting the first-ever New York State Veterans Resource Fair on Tuesday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Student Union Ballroom.

The sponsors of the event include the Department of Veterans Services, the Vet Center and the NYS Division of Veterans Affairs. They will offer assistance with housing, health, education, legal matters, jobs opportunities, mental health and LGBT resources.

This free event will include complementary refreshments. It is open to all New York State veterans, service members and their families.

Until April 7, residents ages 14 and over in District 19 can vote for their favorite capital projects in the participatory budgeting process.

In previous years, up to 5,000 votes were cast for projects that totaled nearly $2 million.

Here are the following 21 projects that made it to the final ballot:

Residents can vote online at pbnyc.org/vote, OR cast their ballot at the following locations: