Queens Teenager Opens Fire on NYPD

NYPD: Armed Teenager Shot by Cops in Queens

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A teenager, allegedly armed with a loaded gun, has been shot by police in Queens.

The NYPD says uniformed officers approached four males at around
5:30 p.m. Friday at the corner of 75th street and 101st Avenue in Ozone Park.

Authorities say a police officer and a sergeant confronted the armed suspect and opened fire. He was shot in the hand, buttocks and leg and was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.

There are no words besides "what a dirt bag". Well thats one less aspiring youth off the streets. I am thankful that no one died. I have heard too many stories that ended in death.

*Continues shaking his head*

Queens Crossing Art Gallery To Open

First exhibition showcased at Queens Crossing gallery

A hulking commercial and office complex hanging over Municipal Lot 1 in downtown Flushing, Queens Crossing is expected to open in its entirety sometime in April. Several aspects of the building, though, such as Crossing Art, have been operational for months.

"Back to the Garden" represents the first full exhibition at the 8,000-square-foot gallery, located on the fourth floor at 136-20 38th Ave. The exhibition, free of charge, features eight artists, each of whom Curator Lucchia Mei-Hua Lee said represented the theme of "back to the garden" in their work.

"It doesn't matter who you are. You could be the grumpiest old man. The moment you see a sticker you smile," Choi said of her piece, "Apple Juice Kisses and Champagne Farts."

"I wanted to capture some of that childlike joy. With the reflective materials, as you're looking at [the collages], you realize that you're looking at yourself. You find yourself in the work."

Crossing Art is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment. For additional information, call Lee at 917-412-2831 or visit

www.crossingart.com.

Is it just me or is the Ledgers latest publication a little more positive than usual? Boy Spring must be in the air. Anyways, its good to see Queens supporting art and artists since all of the disputes in LIC about how the "yuppies" are being out priced of the neighborhood. But that will need another post.

Bard High School Early College II To Open In Queens

BHSEC II To Open In Queens In September

Bard High School Early College II will open in Queens this September. Like the original Bard High School Early College in Manhattan, founded in 2001, BHSEC II is based on the principle that many motivated students are ready to engage in college-level work during their high school years.
Operated in partnership between Bard College and the New York City Department of Education, BHSEC II offers highly motivated students from all five boroughs the opportunity to earn a Regents diploma from New York State, as well as 60 college credits and an Associate in Arts degree from Bard College in a selective, tuition-free, public school. BHSEC II is now accepting applications for this coming September from students currently in 10th grade (class of 2010).

Information sessions, featuring staff and students from BHSEC, will be held Tuesday, March 25, at 6 p.m. at 525 East Houston St. in Manhattan; Monday, March 31 at 6 p.m. at 30-20 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City; and Wednesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. at 30-20 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City.
To apply or sign up to take the admissions assessment, which is part of the application process, call (212) 995-8479, ext. 2042, or e-mail apply@bhsec.bard.edu. Assessments will be held on Saturday, April 12 and Thursday, May 1 at 30-20 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City. Students must bring a copy of their 9th grade and most recent 10th grade report cards.

What a double whammy, not only a new school, but a good school. Very good, more options and more opportunities for gifted children of Queens and New York City. The biggest kicker is that is tuition free, kudos for who ever put this into the works.

BHSEC

Plays Becoming More Popular in Queens?

Tell that to the 91 year old Ridgewood Theater

The Play's The Thing: More risk-taking might boost Queens theaters

One advantage of those older plays is that they have a lot of characters, and the more actors in a play, the more people to spread the word, and the more of their friends to come to see it.

Another advantage is the name recognition. The typical theatergoer will more likely go to something they have heard of, rather than a work unknown to them. So when the Phoenix Players present "Tea," opening Friday, or The Outrageous Fortune Company produces "The Moonlight Room," recently closed, a chance is taken in the hope that the adventurous and sophisticated theatergoer will show up.

It would also be wise to appeal to an audience besides white older people, such as blacks, Latinos and Asians. Queens is known for its diversity - let's see more of it in our theaters. And, of course, all this has to be marketed. A mailing list may be fine, and so are fliers and newspaper notices, but Web sites and the Internet are gaining in popularity and acceptance. Still nothing beats word-of-mouth, but first you have to get the public to pay attention. Any suggestions?

Advertisements are important, but encouraging other people to come is key in my opinion.

"Hey what are you doing next Friday night? You should come with us to this play its supposed to be good".

More people will show up that way then if they see a commercial for it on T.V. or hear it on the Radio.

Have amateur locals be involved in the production, even if it is someone holding up a sign or an extra walking across the stage, it is likely all his/her friends will be there to watch.

Make it appealing, especially to women. Not only will they go, but will drag along a friend or 2.

Location makes all the difference. A local place such as Queens College or another place with a large auditorium works best. I sure am more likely to attend a production in Flushing, Bayside or Fresh Meadows more so than somewhere like Glendale or Rosedale for example, simply because its a nice drive away.

South East Queens: Park Leaderless

No new parks leader coming to SE Queens

Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski told Community Board 13 Monday that the agency's budget is too tight to hire a parks administrator for southeast Queens.

She was responding to a concern from Peter Richards, the chair of CB 13's Parks Committee, who brought up the issue at the board's meeting Monday at St. Luke's Church in Rosedale.

"Currently, we don't have the funding for it," Lewandowski said. "In the absence of that, we've done a lot of programming and capital improvements" in southeast Queens, she said, referring to concert series, puppet shows and boating outings.

Lewandowski said the larger parks in Queens, such as Flushing Meadows, Alley Pond and Ft. Totten, have administrators.

Hellenbrecht said 10 of the 38 resumes received so far were disqualified because they came from people who lived outside the city. Living within the city is a condition for the job.

Is a park leader really necessary? I have no idea, but time will only tell. It is wonderful news to hear that a park leader must living in the city. If the money is allocated to something that benefits the community more, then more power to them.

Queens Botanical Garden Giving Away Land?

Well not quite, so don't be alarmed. For those of you salivating at the though, better luck next time.

Per Splittinghairsinforesthills

In a rare instance of land literally being given away in New York, the Queens Botanical Gardens has set aside four 15-x-15′ plots of land for gardeners age 55 or older as part of their Senior Garden. If anyone is interested, call soon because the spaces within the plots fill up fast and are all taken by end summer.

The Giveaway Garden (there, I renamed it) is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, and is located in the southwest quadrant of the QBG near the College Point Boulevard gate, a several-minute walk from the main gate on Main Street.

More information: 718-886-3800, x525

Sounds like something nice for older people who don't have a back yard to plant in. I'd be weary of someone swiping my Cherry Tomatoes or Basil. On that note, anyone who wants a 15 x 15 lot to plant in my back yard please call: (718) 762-... okay I've changed my mind.

Queens: LIRR Trains Play Tag

LIRR Trains Collide in Queens

LIRR Train Derails at Jamaica Station

NEW YORK (AP) -- Two Long Island Rail Road trains bumped each other at Jamaica Station causing one train to derail and tying up eastbound service for nearly one hour.

None of the 300 passengers on the two trains was injured, said railroad spokeswoman Susan McGowan.

Villarroel said passengers were checked at the platform as they got off the train.

Thankfully no one was killed or injured. I'm sure there will be a few Personal Injury lawsuits coming shortly.

Queens Local Met Fans: What About Us?

First off, Lets apologize to Queens Crap for making a very similar post.

New York Mets Community Dates:

North Babylon - Friday May 9
Lynbrook - Tuesday May 27
Merrick - Thursday May 29
Mineola - Friday May 30
New Hyde Park/Garden City - Tuesday June 10
Half Hallow Hills - Friday June 13
Denville - Sunday June 15
Connetquot - Tuesday June 24
Lindenhurst - Thursday September 25

Bayside, Flushing, Long Island City, New Milford, Woodhaven - TBD

Apparently the Mets think there are only 4 towns in Queens worth setting a special date for, but they haven't done so yet. But if you live out on the Island, you're all set. Maybe this is part of their community benefits agreement...

http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2008/03/queens-mets-fans-count-damn-it.html#links

Dare I suggest that with the ticket hikes and MTA and LIRR fare hikes that it is assumed that Queens Mets fans can not afford to attend Mets games anymore?

Parking In Bayside Queens: A Rant and Rave

The area on and around Bell Boulevard in Bayside, has been declared by We Light Up Queens as an impossible place to park.

Next to the LIRR train station, thats pretty self explanatory.

On Bell Boulevard? No such luck.

Hmm a Muni-Meter spot is a safe bet right? Think Again.

Ah! Finally a spot on a quiet side street... Oh wait, no parking from 7 Am to 7 PM... F_ _K this I'm going home.

Just in case you all did not already know, parking around Bell Boulevard is nearly impossible during the day. It makes parking in Astoria look easy.

Top 5 Reasons to Listen to PULSE 87.7

Pulse 87

If you like Techno, Freestyle and Trance and live in the New York City Area you probably want to check out Pulse 87.7 ( The lowest station on the FM Dial).

Joel Salkowitz, the station's PD and a alumni of WQHT during their early days told the online website All Access about Pulse 87's musical direction: "The station is a Top 40/Rhythmic, leaning away from Rock and Rap and more towards Club and Dance sounds in their place. Familiar, rhythmic hits mixed with the very best new music. This is a current/recurrent-based radio station."

Its transmitter is on top of the Citicorp Building in Long Island City, Queens, and Pulse 87.7 IDs allude to it as "that big blue building in Queens" [1].

Reasons to Listen:

1. New beats to old songs
2. Less commercials and contests/ more music
3. New Music/ Underground remixes
4. It is KTU minus the over played disco stuff and the good beats that die into a mediocre vocals
5. Who doesn't want to hear all 12 (exaggeration) remixes of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"?

It is pretty popular in Queens among teens and people in their early twenties. I haven't talked to enough people who have actually heard about the station to listen. Another problem is that some radios do go that low to reach 87.7.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Wikipedia

PULSE 87 Fan Board

Community Board Rejects Synagogue On Block

Community Board 8 Rejects Synagogue On Block

“Our neighborhood is under siege by institutions. The community is saying we are over-saturated. We know this is a growing religious community where the membership will go beyond 400. What will happen to parking then?” asked Marie DeInnocentiis, at last week’s Community Board 8 meeting.
Over 30 residents, many angered about a lack of parking caused by a fourth synagogue being built within a block of the Hillcrest Jewish Center, signed up to to speak at the meeting.

Finally someone is standing up to the increasing invasion of religious institutions. It is certainly not needed for a neighborhood to have four places on one block or in a 5 block radius for that matter, and as always parking for the residents in the area is more and more of an issue.

Hopefully someone in Flushing/ Community Board 11, will stand up and prevent future conversions of residential housing into "places of worship". I am not singling anyone one religion out, I just believe in general it has been over crowded with religious institutions and this problem is only getting worse. Understandably this rise in places to worship increase with the population and diversity that Queens has to offer.

Cars Got Larger, Drive Ways stayed the same, SUVs Got Tickets

Homeowners Ticketed For Parking In Own Drive

A Bay Terrace homeowner has been ticketed three times in the past month for parking in his own driveway.
“A guy came through two or three times in the same month. He ticketed two of the cars, but not the third, even though the third was over just as much,” said Anthony Scharge, long time Bay Terrace resident.

Well sadly Queens residents eat up nearly one third of all the parking tickets dealt in the New York City Area. Is this a new all time low? An all- time low maybe... but this act of ticketing has been practiced in Flushing for as long as I can remeber (as the family minivan renders our driveway unusable).

However, if blocking the sidewalks becomes an accepted practice and not enforced like the Bayside residents are suggesting, then it is plausable to suggest that we could see many more people doing the same, as well as people trying to pack in two cars into one driveway space and big cargo vans blocking sidewalks more so than they already do. There is no simple way out, and every solution creates another problem.

Tour De' Queens Anyone?

Streetfilm: Queens Roller Racing

Bike racing comes to Queens as people will bike from one end of Queens to the other. I Unfortunately I couldn't embed the video from Streetblog.com. It looks pretty cool, this is something anyone with a free weekend afternoon should try, I don't think Northern Boulevard or Queens Boulevard are too bike friendly, so I will get to see a whole lot more side streets than I ever had before. Also biking through Flushing Main Street could be pretty interesting as well. Catch the action on June 8, 2008.

Last week, the Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee hosted a fundraising Roller Race at the Creek & Cave bar. Watch this short video and find out what exactly a roller race is. If you would like get more info on the Tour de Queens and the Queens Volunteer Committee, contact Mike Heffron.

Lets put those nice underutilized bike lanes around Queens to good use since I never see anyone use them to this day and a belated Happy Easter.

Willets Point: The Grass Is Always Greener at CitiFiled

Newsday Reports:

The baseball diamond won't be the only thing that's "green" at the new Mets stadium, which will be built and equipped with a variety of environmentally conscious features, team, city and federal officials announced Thursday.

Citi Field, which is rising next door to Shea Stadium in Flushing and will open in 2009, is being built with recycled steel, and cement made with coal combustion products, which reduces carbon emissions. The ballpark will use energy-efficient lights and feature bathrooms with water conservation measures such as automatic hands-free faucets and automatic flush toilets and waterless urinals. Also, The team's new administration building will have a "green" roof.

Jeff Wilpon, the team's chief operating officer, said although some of the measures may cost more up front, they will save money over the long haul. "It was important to us to do this in an environmentally-friendly way," Wilpon said of the new ballpark.

The Parks Department may take our green spaces but the Buildings Department can take our lives

I was forwarded this email from a concerned Queens neighbor concerning recent events:

The Parks Department may take our green spaces

but the Buildings Department can take our lives.

No, this e-mail is not about parks, although, as usual

we have good and not-so-hot news on that front.

Today is all about buildings.

As you know, once again, despite repeated complaints

from the community, the community association, the community board

and every single local elected representative,

the Buildings Department failed to protect a neighborhood from

a construction crane's falling, crushing several buildings,

this time taking several lives in midtown Manhattan.

This is only the latest in a continuing series of tragedies --

illegal conversions, fires, collapsing buildings, & falling scaffolds and cranes.

According to public figures cited yesterday

by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer,

" the number of safety violations at high-rise construction sites

nearly doubled between November 2006 and November 2007."

Yet as the list of disaster continued to grow, no Mayor, regardless of party,

ever exercised executive control over this wayward agency.

Last January, after a similar construction accident in downtown Manhattan, Stringer "called for the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement

or a similar agency to take over construction site safety.

Special Enforcement is an elite unit staffed by police, fire and building inspectors.

The unit is responsible for interagency enforcement of a broad range of quality of life issues, including illegal building uses...[leading Stringer to suggest] that the unit's mandate be expanded to include an independent, interagency approach to construction safety."

To find out more about Scott's proposal, call his office at 212-669-8300.

To find out more about your own Borough President's plans, call him/her.

It is melodramatic but true:

The life you save may be your own.

Carol Schachter Carol Greitzer Carol Rinzler Pat Dolan

Bicycles weren't already green?

Bicycle Maker Goes Green

NEW YORK (AP) -- Bicycles are environment-friendly and now a bike mmanufacturer in Queens is using solar energy to make the bikes.

Worksman Cycles manufactures heavy-duty bicycles for delivery services, and adult tricyles that pull hot dog carts.

The company employs about 50 people in its 100-thousand square foot factory in Ozone Park, Queens. The company installed a 15-kilowatt system on its roof that will provide more than 20 percent of it's electricity.

The network says there are 77 million square feet of industrial roofs in the metro area that could be used for solar panels.

This is a pretty great thing, the potential to improve the environment and save money at the same time. I wouldn't go out and buy a bicycle because of this "greening" but it may sway plenty people to go out and get one.

Gotham Gazette: Ten Reasons We Don't Have the Economy We Thought We Had

Ten Reasons We Don't Have the Economy We Thought We Had

Gotham Gazette

1. The Federal Reserve dropped the ball big time.

2. Outlandish Wall Street bonuses really aren't good for New York

3. The "You're On Your Own" economy does not apply to giant banks.

4. Credit card debt is no substitute for broad-based wage gains.

5. Low unemployment wasn't all good news.

6. Sub-prime lending did not give us record home ownership.

7. Government spending, it turns out, is pretty useful.

8. A college education might not get you a good job after all.

9. Having succeeded in keeping wages down, the White House is doing all it can to push prices up.

10. Ever-higher trade deficits do matter.

I really recommend reading the full article with the explanations for each of the reasons, the more who understand the causes the better. As cliche as it is "Knowledge is Power". This recession is only about 20% into it, and inflation is not helping things and you can blame the gas prices on the devaluation of the dollar hence why it is number one on the list.

Mike
welightupqueens@gmail.com

Toxic Schools Improve Learning

...Learning about how to put together and protest an injustice that is.

Residents Protest Toxic Schools

Advocates and community members gathered Tuesday in front of State Senator Frank Padavan’s Bellerose office to protest his lax legislation concerning environmentally contaminated school sites and to announce a leafleting campaign to educate constituents in Padavan’s district about the issue.

The meeting was hosted by Dave Palmer, a lawyer for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, which represents community groups dealing with environmentally contaminated school sites. School sites leased by the City do not require the same type of community, political and environmental review processes as schools owned by the City. This loophole allows for schools to be located on contaminated sites posing health threats to children, according to the organization.

“All of that we think places children at risk,” Palmer said.

“Children are most vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals.”

At the meeting Tuesday, Katie Acton, whose daughter attended PS 65 in Ozone Park from 1999 to 2002 spoke about the toxins beneath the school that she believes led her daughter to develop asthma. Acton belongs to PS 65 Parents and Neighborhood Against TCE, which now has a lawsuit against the City. The school is located is a former airplane parts factory.

“Leaving the school, her health has improved and so have her grades,” Acton said. “It is my understanding that the Department of Education knew of the contamination before the families.”

It is pretty sad in this day and age that significant problems such as toxicity affecting the youth in society and drugs in the drinking water; its a scary world we live in.

More power to the protesters, children deserve clean and safe environments to learn in.

Homeless On The Decline In Queens?

Homeless On Decline In Queens For Third Year

According to new data released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Homeless Services Commissioner Robert Hess, homelessness is in decline for the third straight year throughout New York City.

“Tackling homelessness in its many forms has been a priority for our Administration – and I’m pleased to announce further progress in our efforts to help people leave the streets for a better life,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The good news, from both humanitarian and quality of life perspectives, is that a quarter fewer New Yorkers live on city streets today than when we started measuring in 2005. We will continue to bring innovation and focused management attention to this
longstanding urban challenge.”

New York City has an estimated 3,306 unsheltered individuals according to HOPE 2008 – a ratio of one unsheltered homeless individual to 2,485.

Heh... Where do I begin? First of all anything regarding the poor, homeless or impoverished is skewed to make the numbers look better. Are the homeless on the decline? Maybe the homeless themselves are on the decline but homelessness may actually be increasing. From my own experiences in the past year or so, I could argue that I have seen more homeless now than ever. Toting signs saying "Lets Do Lunch, On You". Perhaps the sight of people digging through trash cans and recycling bins for deposit cans is common, however over the last year or so I have seen a drastic increase ( hence why the Bigger Bottle Bill proposed by NYPIRG will be beneficial). I could go on and on about this but I will spare you, at least for now.

These estimates were done based on Surveys. Anyone who has ever taken a Sociology class or a Psychology class knows that people lie on Surveys.

Well at least its good to see an attempt of shedding light on the problem of homelessness.

From My Blog to God's RSS Feed

A few weeks ago I suggested something along the lines or resident permit parking for Queens since it is starting to become an issue for many. Apparently this varies from neighborhood and block to block as well.

Here is the old post: Parking Problems

Picture from DOT

QueensCrap: Residential Parking Plan

Apparently it is under consideration by the Community Boards.

I think it will be hard to enforce a change like this because there are usually no meter maids and such to regulate this during the hardest time to park which is usually between the hours of 6 P.M and 11 P.M.

I maybe pushing it when I dare to suggest that these permits also could also provide exemptions like paying for parking meters in their own respected zone.

What A Way to Screw up Communers!

Delay on LIRR and No. 7 subway

Per Newsday

Over the course of the past week, the railroad has had more than a half-dozen cancellations due to equipment-related problems, though a spokesperson could not confirm an exact number on Monday.

The latest cancellation was the 7:47 a.m. train from Sayville, scheduled to arrive at Hunterspoint at 9:11 a.m.

The equipment-trouble was described only as being "brake-related." No other details were available.

Rail riders could expect delays as well Monday on the Times Square-bound No. 7 subway train, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said those delays were caused by "someone requiring medical assistance" at the 33rd Street-Rawson Street Station.

Those Manhattan-bound No. 7 trains are running on the local track between the 74th Street-Broadway Station and the Queensboro Plaza Station, while Flushing-bound trains are running on the express track between the Queensboro Plaza Station and the 74th Street-Broadway Station.

I know if I was depending on these trains to get to work on time I certainly would not be happy, nor would my boss. I guess it is better to have delays then running trains with brake problem. Well thats the MTA for you.

Pot Holes No Longer An Issue?

Apparently that is what the New York Department of Transportation was saying. Claiming that they attend to potholes with in 3 days of discovery. However, I know in my own daily driving that I come across so many potholes in the Flushing/Fresh Meadows area that have not been fixed yet for so long that it is now instinctive to avoid certain stretches of certain roads. (Mainly around Peck Park and Kissena Park.)

Potholes: The City Says They Only Exist For A Couple Days But Queens Residents Say Differently:

No one denies that many of the City’s roadways can be a bit rocky. The discrepancy lies with how quickly the city acts to shore up potholes and other defects in the roadway.
Scott Gastel, New York City Department of Transportation deputy press secretary, said that potholes are filled in less than three days.

Stella Rakhman of Community Board 8 said although there weren’t any outstanding complaints in the district, DOT usually took approximately 30 to 45 days to fix a pothole.
Even in DOT’s own ranks, there is a discrepancy. Craig Chin, DOT spokesman said on average it takes nine days to repair a pothole.

“We have a number of complaints, but not any more than normal,” Gaska said of the pothole situation within the boundaries of Board 14. “In the last year they have gotten a little better.”

Queens Night Life: PLUM Restruant/Lounge

If you are an avid "Lounger" who wants to change things up from the usual lounges in the Bayside/ Queens area. PLUM on Bell Boulevard and 48th Avenue is probably a place you want to check out. My first impression while walking in was "wow its pretty dark in here", it looked very upscale and very much geared towards people in there low to mid twenties. The place itself was pretty interesting and it had a different vibe, similar to a club setting but with tables and chairs where a dance floor would be. My own experience was mediocre, mainly because of a small desert menu ( I already had a nice home cooked meal) I ended up ordering a Cheese cake which was pretty good. It looked pretty empty in there considering it was a Saturday night with an exception of a party going on at the bar area.
My critique was the prices of the beers there, they were all about $6.00 each! I couldn't justify spending Shea Stadium priced brews, so I wouldn't advise going for a couple drinks. From what I have heard from other people was that their dinner menu is pretty good, maybe another review is to come. On a side note the bathroom there was very decorated with slate tiles on the walls and floor and rocks in the sinks, I was impressed.
Parking is another issue as is much of the Bell Boulevard area of Bayside. Thankfully it is surrounded by mostly residential housing, which makes it a "feast or famine" sort of ordeal.

*Shortcut to get there: If you are coming from the Long Island Expressway get off at Utopia Parkway. Make a left onto Utopia going towards Northern Boulevard. Make a right onto 46th Avenue/Hollis Court, merge to the left at the fork. Stay on the same road as it switches names a few times (such as 47th Avenue). You will end up at Bell Boulevard much quicker than taking Northern Boulevard all the way down.


Photo from Chow.com

Here is a link with some reviews.

http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Plum.718-229-7586

Queens Tribune

The Queens Gazette

Chow Hund

Dorms to Be Built In LIC?

Queens Crap:LIC to Become Dorm Town

A developer is looking to build a dormitory and mixed-use building that will bring some 200 CUNY students to Long Island City.

The initial proposal, which called for a 13-story residential building on Fifth St. with 169 apartments, ground-floor retail and 220 grad-student dormitory units, was unanimously rejected by Community Board 2's land use committee in November.

As a CUNY Student myself I am for this project because CUNY in particular lacks dorms. Dorms are first starting to appear at sites such as Queens College (Due out in 2010). From a Community stand point I can understand they there will be critics of this proposal, for the same or similar reasons that Jamaica Estates is against the St. John's dorms. This project benefits Astoria/ Long Island City, Queens and New York City as a whole, it makes more jobs available, student life easier and better education options for prospective out of state students.

Go Take a Hike MetroCards!

The basic transit fare may still be $2 on Sunday, but for the majority of New York City's straphanging multitudes that's when it will once again cost more to ride buses and subways.

Only 14 percent of bus and subway riders pay the basic fare.

As of March 1, tickets on the Long Island Rail Road will increase. The following day most fares for subway and bus trips will rise, while higher bridge and tunnel tolls will kick in March 16.

The new round of hikes was ratified just before Christmas when the Metropolitan Transportation board voted overwhelming to charge more.

Read the Whole Story Here: MetroCard, LIRR hike takes effect this weekend

Well once again the MTA is crying poverty, but we all know the truth is that they funnel out millions and millions of tax payer dollars hence the budget "crisis".

The Long Island Railroad apparently felt that they weren't expensive enough as is. I thought $12.00 round trip was expensive, I guess not.

With the tunnel and bridge tolls rising as well, this is like a triple whammy.

When the Recession finally hits when there is no more points of interest left to cut, things will get bad. This is especially true since inflation is still on the rise. Now with the government nickel and diming us the economy is really going to fall flat.

Apparently this was a battle NYPIRG could not win.

But hey now with these toll increases, maybe they can fix the Throgs Neck Bridge before it falls into the water. While they are at it they should build that RFK bridge that was proposed awhile back.