Queens: Counterfit Tax Stamp Operation Bust

Police Bust Queens Counterfeit Tax Stamp Operation

Police officials busted a counterfeit operation that they said could have net millions in illegal cigarette sales.

Officials seized $6 million worth of fake tax stamps, which would have been put on cigarette boxes to appear they were taxed properly.

The operations was the largest seizure of counterfeit tax stamps in New York State history.

Undercover investigators say they sold tens of thousands of cartons of smuggled cigarettes to Queens resident Refea Al-Nablisi, 40, who then sold more than a million fake tax stamps.

Al-Nablisi faces 15 years in prison for tax violations and counterfeiting.

The bust is part of an ongoing investigation into gangs dealing in black market cigarettes.

Only in Queens.... Now my tobacco products will cost more too. First my Air Gordans and now my smokes. Maybe now the increased taxes will do something productive and progressive for New York City. *cough* Fund the St. Saviors Move *cough*

Despite MTA funding cuts 7 Train Sees Improvements

NYC Transit To Take Steps Toward Improving Subway Announcements

Transit officials are listening to riders' complaints about garbled or inaudible subway announcements.

New York City Transit says hundreds of decades-old subway cars are getting external speakers so messages from the conductor can be heard more clearly by riders on the platform.

Transit officials are also looking to replace the conductors' microphones to improve onboard messages.

Trains on the 7 lines will be the first to get the new equipment. If the change proves successful on that line, it will likely be expanded to other lines.

About 2,500 of the system's 6,200 cars, mostly the newer ones, already have exterior speakers pointed towards the platforms.

NYPIRG will be very happy about this, as they pushed very hard for new intercom speakers to hear the Conductors better. Maybe with these upgrades the next survey of the 7 Train will be better than a C-.

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.