32 The QUEE NS Courier • FEBRUARY 13, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Support for CVS after decision to kick the habit BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] CVS wants to put its customers’ health before its profits by pulling tobacco products from its shelves — and it’s receiving plenty of support for the decision, CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE HORSE More than 10,000 festival-goers flooded downtown Flushing this past weekend to watch the 18th annual Lunar New Year Parade. The February 8 celebration featured traditional lion dances, fireworks and appearances by dozens of elected officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio. The parade began on 37th Avenue and made its way down Union Street, Sanford Avenue, Main Street to 39th Avenue and Queens Crossing. FOR MORE PIX, GO TO WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM Photos by Mike DiBartolomeo even from smokers. The company announced on Wednesday, February 5 that it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at all of its CVS/pharmacy locations by October 1. “Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose,” Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark said. CVS is the first major national pharmacy chain to remove tobacco products from its shelves. At a CVS on Northern Boulevard in Bayside, shoppers were overwhelmingly supportive of its decision. “I think it is a good idea, even though I smoke,” said Monica Laburda. The company estimates that it will lose approximately $2 billion in revenues annually because of the move. It will also launch a national smoking cessation program this spring, which will include information and treatment on smoking cessation at CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic, along with online resources, CVS said. It will additionally offer comprehensive programs for CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management plan members to help them quit smoking. The day of the announcement people took to social media, from the White House and cancer organizations, to its everyday customers, applauding the company’s decision, though some questioned what products the store could remove next in the name of health, including alcohol and potato chips. Other drugstores should follow suit, Laburda said, but she doesn’t believe convenience stores should stop selling cigarettes. -With additional reporting by Da Hae Jung THE COURIER/Photo by Da Hae Jung Review ACS after mom charged in death of daughter BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] Mayor Bill de Blasio said there will be a full investigation and a review of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) after a Far Rockaway mother was arrested for allegedly beating her two-year-old daughter to death. The mayor made the remark at an unrelated press conference on Thursday, February, 6, the day after the mother’s arrest. De Blasio had already promised an investigation into ACS following the death of four-year-old Myls Dobson. He said there would now be a much deeper review of the agency’s policies and practices. ACS had visited the Queens toddler’s home more than once in the past, according to published reports. On Monday, February 3, at about 11:15 p.m., her mother, Ashley Diaz, 28, called a neighbor, saying that her daughter was not breathing, District Attorney Richard Brown said. The neighbor allegedly found the child, Kevasia Edward, lying on the apartment floor unresponsive. She then noticed her face was red and bruised, her lip was bleeding and her teeth pushed in and jutting out in different directions and missing. Kevasia was taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead just after midnight. According to medical personnel at the hospital, Kevasia had old, as well as fresh bruising, fractured ribs and scarring on her right foot consistent with a prior burn. Those injuries, however, were inconsistent with a story Diaz allegedly gave about her child having a seizure and falling to the ground at about 9:30 p.m. Monday. The autopsy found that Kevasia suffered multiple fresh and old bruising to her face and body, abusive head trauma and other markings consistent with trauma, Brown said. Diaz has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to prosecutors. 10-TIME CHAMPS Francis Lewis High School’s JROTC drill team swept the NYC Drill League championship Saturday for the 10th consecutive year. The victors beat out Xavier, Theodore Roosevelt, Long Island City, Uniondale, Morris, Wyandanch and Fort Hamilton High School at Francis Lewis High School on February 8. Last year, Francis Lewis’s unarmed drill team won a national title in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo courtesy of Facebook
QC02132014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above