Author: Dan Rose

Rest peacefully @FrankPadavan you were a champion of the Republican Party and the NYS Senate you will be sorely missed. Our condolences are extended to the Padavan family. pic.twitter.com/7WXxJ7fJ6w

— Queens County GOP (@QueensCountyGOP) October 9, 2018

Former State Senator Frank Padavan passed away yesterday.

He represented neighborhoods in northeast Queens, including Flushing, Whitestone, Bayside and Queens Village, from 1973 to 2010.

He was succeeded by State Senator Tony Avella, who had this to say about Padavan:

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former State Senator Frank Padavan. He will be well remembered as someone who fought diligently for Northeast Queens and served our community well.

— Tony Avella (@TonyAvella) October 9, 2018

Other Republican elected officials weighed in on Padavan’s contributions over decades to Queens and New York City at large.

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former NYS Senator Frank Padavan. Sen. Padavan was a staunch advocate for his NE Queens district and a fighter for the forgotten middle class. Overall, he was an absolute gentleman and raised the bar for public service. RIP Frank

— Eric Ulrich (@eric_ulrich) October 9, 2018

Sorry to hear of the passing of former New York State Senator Frank Padavan. He served the people of Queens with distinction representing the neighborhoods of Queens Village, Flushing, Bayside, Whitestone, Douglaston, Little Neck, and more for 37 years. Rest in Peace.

— Nicole Malliotakis (@NMalliotakis) October 9, 2018

Padavan was 83 years old.

 

 

 

On Friday, October 5th, members of the Korean American Family Sevice Center (KAFSC) along with many other Flushing and Queens community members participated in a march against domestic violence.

The march was silent and had the slogan: Break the silence, end the violence.

The march began at the NYPD 109th precinct at 37-05 Union Street in Flushing and ended at the Queens Flushing Library.

The Korean American Family Service Center is a nonprofit organization that aims to help support and empower adults, youth, and children to lead safe and healthy lives.

“We march to break the silence and end the domestic violence that is happening right in our homes. With more and more people fighting to end violence in the MeToo movement and the VAWA renewal, it is more important than ever to do our part. Let your actions be heard louder than words.”

For more information on KAFSC services visit kafsc.org

 

The Halloween essay and drawing contest is back!

Bayside Assemblyman Ed Braunstein is once against sponsoring the contest.

Students grades 2 through 5 can participate. The essay or drawing should have a Halloween theme, such as a favorite costume or trick-or-treat experience.

If interested, submit your full name, grade and school on the entry.

Essays can be submitted by mail to 213-33 39th Avenue, Suite 238, Bayside, NY 11361 or emailed to braunsteine@nyassembly.gov.

Drawings can be mailed or dropped off.

The contest deadline is Wednesday, October 31.

Direct any questions to Braunstein’s office at 718-357-3588.

This opulent and spectacular custom built colonial is Little Neck’s House of the Week.

Located in the heart of Little Neck Hills, the house has an I-Beam structure and a luxurious marble exterior. The home has more than 10,000 sq. ft. of living space. Want to know a secret? It was built by the builder for his family. There’s a gourmet eat-in-kitchen with custom pocket doors.

There are two oversized master suites with balconies and three bedrooms with en-suite full bathrooms and balconies. This home also has a rare 12-foot ceiling basement with a den, gym, spa bath and much more.

This property is listed by Crifasi Real-Estate Inc. for $3,268,888.

A new Kumon Math & Reading Center has opened up in Flushing.

The tutoring site provides after-school academic enrichment programs for enrolled students.

The new location is at 149-36 Northern Boulevard. The grand opening, which took place on Friday, included face painting, games for children, a parent orientation and free placement tests.

The director of the Kumon Center is Dr. Shalini Outram, a New York native who graduated from Townsend Harris High School. Outram went on to study at Barnard College and the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Outram is a Kumon parent herself.

The New York League of Conservation Voters released its “Environmental Scorecard,” which grades lawmakers on how they voted on environmental bills.

The green lobby group considered voting records for 13 bills, five of which passed the State Senate and seven of which passed the Assembly.

The legislation ranges on issues from prohibiting offshore drilling and protecting working farms to paint stewardship and single-use carryout bags.

Overall, 16 state senators received a perfect score, while 32 Assembly members got a perfect score.

The Senate Democrats averaged 92%, and the Senate Republicans averaged 60%. Assembly Democrats averaged 83%, while Assembly Republicans averaged 59%.

In Queens specifically, the Assembly members’ average was 77%, while Queens senators averaged 92%.

Here’s how northeast Queens representatives did on the scorecard:

• State Senator Tony Avella: 92%
• State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky: 100%
• Assemblyman David Weprin: 92%
• Assemblywoman Nily Rozic: 100%
• Assemblyman Edward Braunstein: 69%
• Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal: 62%
• Assemblyman Ron Kim: 67%

Seniors can often have a hard time finding all of the available resources for them in their community.

But thanks to this handy guide produced by Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, residents won’t have to look far.

The Senior Resource Guide lists many services that will seniors, such as advocacy organizations, caregiver support services, consumer protection agencies, legal assistance programs, transportation and housing resources, and community centers.

The guide is available in both print and digital (which you can find here).

It also comes in additional languages, including Chinese and Korean.

If you want to pick up a hard copy, call Rozic’s district office at 718-820-0241.

Two streets near PS 163 in Kew Gardens Hills have been converted into one-ways, making them safer for all users.

The city has turned 159th and 160th streets, previously two-way streets, into one-ways earlier this week.

Officials say this will make pedestrian crossings safer and easier to predict for schoolchildren and cars.

“This is a long time coming and will help ease the dangerous traffic conditions that our community contends with on a daily basis,” says principal Francine Marsaggi. “I believe that these changes will allow for smoother and safer transitions during our morning ingress and our afternoon dismissal.”

The 6th annual Summer Blood Drive on Thursday, August 9 will come with a special gift: an electronic voucher for two Mets tickets!

The blood drive, from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m., will take place at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center at 212th Street and 26th Avenue.

ALSO, the first 100 people who donate a pint of blood will also receive a certificate for a free pint of soup from Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant & Caterers.

For more information, email braunsteine@nyassembly.gov or call 718-357-3588.

Back for its third season, the Flushing Greenmarket is launching at Maple Playground tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Run by GrowNYC, the greenmarket is open every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from July 11 to November 22.

Why go? The Department of Health is hosting nutrition education workshops and cooking demonstrations in English, Chinese and Spanish.

Every participant over 18 years old will receive a $2 Health Bucks coupon that can be used for buying fruits and vegetables.

If you have food scraps, the greenmarket will also take them until 1 p.m. The collection will be taken to Queens Botanical Garden to be turned into compost.