4 The QUEE NS Courier • JANUARY 7, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com EMPTY SHELVES Patrons lament demise of Bay Terrace Barnes & Noble By Alina Suriel asuriel@queenscourier.com/@alinangelica Book lovers continue to mourn the loss of the last Barnes and Noble book stores in the “World’s Borough.” Queens said goodbye to Barnes and Noble’s Bay Terrace and Forest Hills locations on Dec. 31. According to representatives of the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, a HomeGoods store will take over the site. Mario Vidal — a former Barnes and Noble employee who worked at a branch in Manhasset — said that he saw firsthand how the franchise sold less merchandise as more and more customers switched over to digital tablets and e-books instead of old-fashioned paper editions. “I’m going to miss it,” Vidal said. “All these bookstores are closing as a result of the digital era of books that is kind of eating up all those sales.” Longtime Barnes and Noble customer Joe Fischer said that he spent a lot of time in the store because it was within walking distance of his home. According to Fischer, there are not many other bookstores nearby. “How can it be that there’s no bookstore in a place like this? They couldn’t find a way to keep this bookstore open?” Fischer lamented. “The neighborhood is going to miss this place.” Nick Napoli, a Bay Terrace Barnes and Noble patron for 15 years, brought his 11-year-old son Nicholas to the store on its last day open. He said that he would be less likely to visit other Barnes and Noble locations, such as ones located further away in Manhasset or Lake Success. “I am sad that this one’s closing,” Napoli said. “It’s very convenient to where we live.” Louise Perlowitz visited the Bay Terrace bookstore with her daughter on the last day of business. She said that Barnes and Noble was one of her favorite options for gift shopping. “It’s a shame that it’s closing because the best gift you can give someone is a book,” Perlowitz said. Man who beat Muslim store owner in Astoria rearrested on hate crime charge By Angela Matua amatua@queenscourier.com/@AngelaMatua The alleged assailant who walked into Sarker Haque’s food store in Astoria and beat him last month was rearrested on New Year’s Day after police declared the assault a hate crime. The assault, which occurred on Dec. 5 in Fatima’s Food Market at 21-37 21st Ave., received attention after Haque revealed that his attacker — later identified as Piro Kolvani,55, of Jacksonville, Florida — said “I kill Muslims” before repeatedly hitting him in the face. Haque suffered a black eye, a laceration to his lips and bruising. After the attack, Astoria residents rallied together to deliver positive messages in the form of posters and cards to the store owner. A Facebook group was started to coordinate the well wishes and residents encouraged each other to shop at Haque’s store to show their support. Originally, police issued Kolvani a desk appearance ticket ordering him to return to court on Jan. 12. But after Haque reported the perpetrator’s comments to police, investigators identified the attack as a bias hate crime. According to a NYPD spokeswoman, Kolvani was arrested on Jan. 1 and charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault, seconddegree aggravated harassment and second-degree harassment. Kolvani was arraigned today and released on his own recognizance, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. He was ordered to appear in court on Feb. 11 and faces up to four years in prison if he is found guilty. Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, along with other elected officials in Astoria, held a press conference several days after the attack to denounce Kolvani’s actions. “I was heartened to learn that the criminal who viciously attacked Sarker Haque has been rearrested and charged with a hate crime,” Simotas said. “These felony charges reflect the serious nature of the crime against Mr. Haque and state unequivocally that hate and violence have no home in our community. I commend the New York City Police Department and, particularly, the 114th Precinct for their hard work and thoughtful handling of this case.” Photo by Larry Mayberry The NYPD arrested Piro Kolvani, who beat Muslim store owner Sarker Haque on Dec. 5. THE COURIER/Photo by Alina Suriel A child reads near a cordoned-off section of empty bookshelves.
QC01072016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above