Author: Dan Rose

Councilman Paul Vallone has put in legislation to co-name the intersection of Clintonville Street and Locke Avenue in Whitestone as “Msgr. John C. Tosi Way.”

Community Board 7 approved the co-naming at their monthly meeting on Monday.

Tosi was a priest for over 45 years, and a monsignor for 23 years in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

He passed away on May 23 after suffering from a coronary condition. He was 73.

Born in Flushing, Tosi attended St. Ann’s School, Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School, Cathedral College, Douglaston and Immaculate Conception Seminary.

Tosi was ordained a monsignor in 1997. In January 2005, he was named pastor of St. Luke’s, where he stayed until he died this year.

“Monsignor Tosi was a man of deep faith and firm commitment to bettering each and every community he served throughout his lifetime,” Vallone said. “His loss is felt profoundly throughout the Whitestone community and I’m proud to propose this street co-naming in his honor.”

Don’t miss this year’s Halloween Essay & Poetry Contest, sponsored annually by Assemblyman Edward Braunstein.

Students from grades two through five are invited to participate.

The essay or poem submission should have a Halloween theme, such as favorite trick-or-treat experience or a short story related to Halloween.

If interested in participating, print your full name, grade and school on the entry.

Essays and poems can be submitted to Braunstein’s office by mail (213-33 39th Avenue, Suite 238 Bayside, NY 11361) or email (braunsteine@nyassembly.gov).

District-wide prizes will be awarded to a winner in each grade. Certificates of Merit will be given to all students who participate.

The contest deadline is Thursday, November 5.

For any questions, contact Braunstein’s office at 718-357-3588.

Local elected officials are cheering after the sign outside a “troublesome” club came down in Oakland Gardens.

Lavoo, located at 224-13 Union Turnpike, has been the site of a series of issues, including drunken behavior, incidents of violence and other disruptions to quality of life, according to local pols.

Earlier this year, pre-pandemic, a brawl and gunshots broke out in front of the club.

Those incidents spurred Councilman Barry Grodenchik, State Senator John Liu, Assemblyman David Weprin and Congresswoman Grace Meng to act. They attended a series of community meetings with the community board, police precinct and residents, as well as a press conference in early March.

The club’s liquor license renewal application expired in April.

“The business was disruptive and harmful to the neighborhood and to the seniors and families who live here,” Grodenchik said. “Safety and security are always of utmost importance.”

Assemblyman Ron Kim and former Assemblywoman Ellen Young visited the Flushing headquarters of the Chinese-American Planning Council last week.

They met with educators and staff of the site, and stayed to observe a session with pre-k students who were practicing social distancing.

After greeting the children and teachers, Kim praised CPC for meeting the challenges of the pandemic and ensuring students continue to receive services.

“The most critical needs of our neighborhoods cannot be perpetually delayed or ignored in the hopes that everything will be back to how it was before,” he said.

“It’s time to rise to the occasion and adapt in whichever ways we must to take care of everyday New Yorkers and our most vulnerable communities.”