Volume 65, No. 141 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 50¢ Corona gets QUEENS NYC’s first STEAM pre-K By Victoria Merlino Queens Daily Eagle TODAY Construction has begun on a state-of-the- art Corona pre-K that city officials say will offer kids a pioneering level of exposure to November 1, 2019 science, technology, engineering, art and math, or STEAM. The pre-K, which will be located at 47- THIS WEEKEND IS YOUR LAST 01 111th St., will partner with the New York chance to take advantage of early voting in Hall of Science to enable students and fami- the 2019 general election — you can do so lies to utilize the museum’s facilities and rely by casting your ballot at more than a dozen on their resources. Students’ families will re- polling locations across Queens. Visit nyc. ceive free membership to the New York Hall pollsitelocator.com to find your designated of Science as part of their enrollment. The school will be the first of its kind in poll site. the city. “Free, full-day, high-quality pre-K puts our kids on the path to success, and we have IOF Y U CAN’T GET OUT TO THE made it a right — not a privilege — for ev- polls this weekend, you can still vote on See more on page 16 Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Corona Thursday to announce a new, high-tech pre-K center. Election Day, Nov. 5. Continued on page 9 Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office QUE E NS GETS LITTLE LOVE FROM the city’s official tourism website — a resource for out-of-towners and adventurous New Yorkers to find out about New York Meet the Queens judicial candidates City neighborhoods. Visit queenseagle.com/ See pages 19 and 20 all/nyc-tourism-website-excludes-most-of- queens-lets-fill-in-the-gaps to share your tips on some of the borough’s excluded neighborhoods. Your suggestions may be featured in an upcoming article. Meng bill would prevent ‘public charge’ deportations By Jonathan Sperling Queens Daily Eagle THE PLAZA COLLEGE COMMUNITY U.S. Rep. Grace Meng joined two oth- Dental Clinic, located in Forest Hills, is er congressmembers Wednesday to present offering free dental care to United States legislation that would establish assistance Military veterans and their immediate programs for immigrants and refugees to the families throughout the month of November United States. for its Veterans Recognition Month. The New Deal for New Americans Act Veterans can call 718-779-1432 to make an would introduce numerous provisions to sup- appointment. port new immigrants, by creating the Nation- al Office of New Americans in the Executive Office, a Legal Services and Immigration QUE E NS COLLEGE WILL WELCOME Assistance Grant Program to support orga- 400 New York City metro area students to nizations that provide direct immigration its 18th Annual Celebrating Mathematics assistance, and by providing automatic voter Teaching Conference today. The annual registration of newly naturalized citizens. conference for high school students The act would also increase refugee ad- features hands-on, interactive workshops mission level to 110,000 per fiscal year and that stress the joy of learning and teaching amend the Immigration and Nationality Act mathematics. to no longer allow deportation of a person deemed to have become a public charge. Meng, the daughter of immigrants, de- THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED TWO scribed the legislation as “a bold and sweep- bills Wednesday to make life a little better for ing effort to strengthen support for immi- the city’s birds. One outlawed the sale of foie grants and refugees.” “Immigrants and refugees have always gras and another imposes stiff penalties on been America’s strength, and improving our trappers caught illegally netting wild birds to system to welcome new Americans will en- be used in out-of-state pigeon shoots. sure that our nation continues to thrive. I will U.S. Rep. Grace Meng speaks on Capitol Hill during the announcement of the New Deal Continued on page 2 for New Americans Act. Photo courtesy of Meng’s office Continued on page 12 Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Visit us Online @queenseagle facebook.com/queenseagle queenseagle.com New York City has a new top lawyer By Victoria Merlino Queens Daily Eagle James Johnson, former assistant U.S. attor- ney and chairman of the board for the Brennan QUEENS Center, was named New York City’s new Cor- poration Counsel by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday. Johnson will lead the New York City Law Department and its staff of almost 1,000 law- yers. “New York City’s Law Department doesn’t TODAY just represent the City, it fights for the values of fairness, justice and tolerance that New Yorkers November 1, 2019 hold, and it needs leaders who have spent their lives on the front lines of that fight,” de Blasio said in a statement. TH E FOIE GRAS BAN PASSED BY A “Throughout his exemplary career, James vote of 42-6, and outlaws the sale of the Johnson has shown he knows the power of our dish made from the liver of force-fed ducks laws to hold the corrupt to account, protect the or geese. The delicacy is already illegal in defenseless, and strengthen the voices of those who have been, for far too long, ignored,” he California and a handful of European Union continued. countries. New York City’s ban will go into Johnson is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney effect in 2022. for the Southern District of New York, and has James Johnson speaks to reporters in 2017 during his unsuccessful run for New Jersey worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. governor. Johnson was named New York City’s Corporation Counsel on Thursday. POLICE FROM THE 112TH PRECINCT He was a founding member of Law Enforce- AP Photo/Julio Cortez ment Leaders to Reduce Crime & Incarceration, are looking for a man who they say robbed a came in second in New Jersey’s 2017 Democrat- “New York City has always led the way for Johnson said. “It’s an honor to be the lawyer Glendale Home Depot after showing a security ic primary for the gubernatorial race. Earlier our nation, not just serving as a beacon of hope for the 8.6 million people of New York and the guard a gun. The suspect allegedly took three this year, he was tapped by New Jersey Gov. and opportunity for all, but enshrining those government that serves them, and I’m excited to cell phone chargers at around 12:15 p.m. Phil Murphy to assist in the state’s takeover of ideals in law. Those are the same core values work with Mayor de Blasio to continue advanc- Wednesday and attempted to walk out of the Atlantic City. I’ve fought to uphold throughout my career,” ing our shared values over the coming years.” door. When confronted by the security guard, the man showed a firearm under his shirt and fled. NYC jail oversight agency votes to THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON Foreign Affairs passed a resolution introduced by Queens U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi and U.S. Rep. propose limits on solitary confinement Peter King, which calls for strict adherence By David Brand amendments may be added to the proposals reform organization JustLeadershipUSA, de- to the Good Friday Agreement during Brexit after this period. scribed his 120-day stint in solitary ahead of Queens Daily Eagle negotiations. The city’s jail system oversight agency vot- After several scheduled speakers at Thurs- the board’s vote. He said he lost nearly 70 lbs. ed Thursday to officially propose new limits day’s public hearing assailed solitary confine- during his term in solitary and still deals with ment — which the city calls “punitive segrega- the emotional toll of the experience. on the use of solitary confinement in New KE E P YOURSELF INFORMED ABOUT York City jails, including Rikers Island — the tion” — at least one board member suggested “I was treated like an animal,” Murphy everything Queens by subscribing to our daily first step in a rule making process that now that the city should go even further to reduce said. “I was taunted by corrections officers, I newsletter. Visit queenseagle.com/subscribe proceeds to public review. the use of solitary confinement. was sprayed with mace.” The nine-member Board of Correction, “I ask City Hall to listen to the modern The Department of Correction and the to have the news soar straight into your inbox which sets minimum standards for the city world, to listen to the critique of solitary con- Corrections Officers’ Benevolent Association every weekday at 8:30 a.m. jail system, voted unanimously to propose the finement and direct its Department of Correc- have said they have few options for punishing new rules, including reducing the maximum tions to enter into the 21st Century,” said Dr. violent detainees and have opposed limits on solitary confinement sentence from 30 days to Robert Cohen, a former director of the Monte- solitary confinement. COBA President Elias 15 days, except in cases of an assault on cor- fiore Rikers Island Health Services. Husamudeen told the Chief-Leader that end- rections staff, which will continue to result in A federal monitor’s report “describes bar- ing solitary would invite “open season” on a 60-day sentence. barisms that need to be addressed,” Cohen COs after the city banned solitary for 16- and The vote initiates the Citywide Administra- said. He cited a “fundamental failure to man- 17-year-olds tive Procedure Act (CAPA) rulemaking pro- age staff” who “are often hyper-confronta- “They know nothing is going to happen to cess, which includes a 30-day public comment tional.” them,” Husamudeen said.