Airtrain Might Run to LGA Proposal Hits Cuomo Pitches New Rail Line Connecting Willets Pt
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LARGEST AUDITED COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN QUEENS Jan. 23–29, 2015 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS New bus line AirTrain might run to LGA proposal hits Cuomo pitches new rail line connecting Willets Pt. station to airport bumpy road BY BILL PARRY BY MADINA TOURE HISTORY COMES TO LIFE Gov. Andrew Cuomo made two proposals this week that Two northeast Queens will have significant impact on lawmakers have expressed the borough: the unveiling of concerns about a proposal for plans to build an AirTrain to a Select Bus Service route in LaGuardia Airport and a plan and between Flushing and Ja- to increase the minimum wage maica. in New York City. The Metropolitan Transpor- Cuomo Tuesday presented tation Authority and the city his six-point plan to strengthen Department of Transportation and modernize the state’s in- are proposing a Flushing to Ja- frastructure, including better maica Select Bus Service con- access to LaGuardia for the 27 necting three corridors: Main million passengers who use it Street, Kissena and Parsons annually. boulevards and 164th Street in “You can’t get to LaGuar- andbetween Flushing and Ja- dia by train and that’s really maica. inexcusable,” Cuomo said in a City Councilman Rory speech to the Association for a Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) Better New York. “That is go- and state Assemblyman Mi- ing to change over the next sev- chael Simanowitz (D-Flushing) eral years.” said a travel or parking lane The AirTrain will be con- could possibly be eliminated to structed by the Port Authority accommodate the service, hurt- and the MTA at an estimated ing motorists, residents and cost of $450 million. The long small businesses. overdue project would connect They met with the DOT and with the No. 7 subway line with the MTA last Friday, where the a new terminal just south of the agencies updated them on the Willets Pt.-Mets subway station proposal. The lawmakers ex- between Citi Field and Flush- pressed support for ideas such ing Meadows Corona Park. as offboard ticketing, synchro- There is a Long Island Rail nizing lights and reconfigur- Road station as well, part of the ing left-turn signals. Malcolm X's daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, reads a passage from her book, “Malcolm Little,” at the Merrick Port Washington line. “The final proposal could Academy in Springfield Gardens, as part of the borough’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday events. The elevated tracks are to include a menu of strategies run a mile and a half along the See coverage on Pages 4, 5. Photo by Madina Toure for improving bus service and Grand Central Parkway avoid- Continued on Page 57 Continued on Page 57 MTA promises 7 service for New Year BY MADINA TOURE who celebrate the Chinese hol- Flushing on the weekend be- iday, which takes place Feb. fore the holiday. The MTA recently an- 21-22, will be able to get their nounced the No. 7 train will special foods and new haircuts See story on Page 2 for all be running at full capacity — a Lunar New Year tradition the latest information on the during this year’s Lunar New — without having to worry MTA’s Lunar New Year sched- Year celebrations in February. about transportation. ule. For the first time, residents The train will also run to A CNG Publication Vol. 23 No. 4 64 total pages 7 to run on New Year No. 2 suspect busted in Bay Terrace heist MTA says Flushing train will operate for Chinese holiday BY JUAN SOTO of $100,000 bond. The victims “weren’t just A second suspect was ar- robbed of their possessions,” rested in connection with Brown said. “The defendant April’s brutal home invasion allegedly stole the couple’s that sent an elderly couple sense of security that they to the hospital and rocked a were safe from harm in their quiet Bay Terrace neighbor- own home.” hood. Brown said that ac- Vicente Barzola, a 39-year- cording to the criminal old Brooklyn resident, was complaint, when one of the busted and arraigned in victims opened the door of Queens Criminal Court on their Bay Terrace apartment, burglary, robbery and assault Barzola allegedly punched charges in relation with the the woman in the face and violent episode,l said Richard knocked her to the ground. Brown, the Queens District The suspect then allegedly Attorney. choked the victim, who was According to the crimi- 85 at the time, until she lost nal complaint, Barzola and consciousness. the other suspect arrested, The Queens district attor- Christopher Ramírez, alleg- ney said when she awoke, her edly rang the door bell of the home had been ransacked. home of the victims posing According to the com- as maintenance workers and plaint, Ramírez allegedly then stormed into the home went upstairs and found the For the first time, the 7 train will run without interruption during Lunar New Year celebrations. of the octogenarian victims elderly man asleep in bed. as one of them opened the Authorities said the suspect BY MADINA TOURE train, it’s easy because they “The 7 train is essential for door. yanked the man to the floor just get on it and they arrive.” all those traveling to Flush- A judge ordered Barzola and bound his hands with For the first time, the 7 Koo noted the Chinese tra- ing and the Main Street hub is be held without bail. Both plastic ties. train will be running at full dition also calls for individu- one of the busiest in New York he and Ramírez, a 24-year- Both victims were taken capacity during all Lunar als to get a haircut before the City,” he said in a statement. old Corona resident, are due to New York Hospital, where New Year celebrations in Feb- holiday to symbolize the new “I hope that the MTA will con- back in court Jan. 30, Brown they were treated for the seri- ruary. year. tinue to keep this tradition noted. ous injuries they sustained. The 7 train will be operat- In 2012, Koo, state Sen. throughout the rest of the 7 Ramírez was arrested in The woman received med- ing without interruption for Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), line construction in the next June and is being held in lieu Continued on Page 57 the weekend of Lunar New state Assemblyman Ron Kim few years.” Year, Feb. 21-22, and the week- (D-Flushing) and U.S. Rep. Stavisky acknowledged end before the holiday, Feb. 14- Grace Meng (D-Flushing), that overhauling the entire 7 15. Last year, construction on along with local small busi- line is an enormous endeavor the 7 train was suspended only ness owners and community but said the MTA move to pro- on the day of the parade. leaders, had meetings with the vide service gives the holiday City Councilman Peter Koo MTA in which they described value. (D-Flushing) praised the MTA the significant disruption that “They’re sending a mes- for the move, saying that indi- 7 line service changes had on sage that keeping this line viduals must purchase special area businesses whose cus- open without interruption for foods a month in advance and tomers could not travel easily this holiday is just as impor- that the train is the easiest to Flushing. tant as transporting fans to a transportation for elderly resi- “It was a long meeting,” Mets game or the US Open,” dents to use. Koo said. “We told them this is she said in a statement. “This “That’s why it’s important very important in our commu- is an example of the religious to keep the train service open nity to have the service.” and cultural tolerance New and understanding that most Other Flushing lawmakers Yorkers are famous for, and I immigrants, especially senior praised the decision as well. am delighted to wish everyone citizens, they don’t drive,” Koo Kim said Flushing is known a very happy Lunar New Year Emergency responders help the elderly woman seriously injured in said. “They don’t even know throughout the world for its free of transit hassles.” last year's Bay Terrace home invasion. how to take the bus. On the 7 Lunar New Year celebrations. 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