FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com FEBRUARY 27, 2014 • The Queens Courier 3 BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] @CristabelleT BILL TO PROTECT PLEDGES Following the fraternity hazing death of a 19-year-old Queens man, a local politician is proposing a law that could prevent a similar tragedy. Assemblymember David Weprin introduced a bill on Sunday, February 23, known as Michael Deng’s law, that would ban all physical conduct and activities by fraternities during initiation or affiliation ceremonies. Anyone who takes part in these activities would be guilty of hazing in the first degree, according to Weprin. The bill honors Baruch College freshman Chun “Michael” Deng. The teen, who was from Oakland Gardens, died from head injuries during an unsanctioned Pi Delta Psi event in Pennsylvania in December, according to authorities and the fraternity’s National Executive President Andy Meng. Deng was reportedly one of several pledges on the trip who was forced to wear weighted bags and navigate a path through a yard, while being repeatedly knocked to the ground. Earlier this month, his death was ruled a homicide. QUEENS SUBWAYS GETTING WI-FI Queens straphangers will soon be able to stay connected underground. Starting in March, construction will begin on a project to bring free cell service and Wi-Fi to every underground station in the borough. Transit Wireless is providing the service. During the first phase of the project, Transit Wireless brought the service to 36 stations in the Chelsea, Midtown and Upper West Side neighborhoods of Manhattan. The second phase, which will bring Wi-Fi to Queens, will also include 11 stations in Midtown Manhattan. Phase two is expected to be completed by June of this year and will serve about 250 million riders annually with cell service on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon Wireless as well as Wi-Fi. BUS TIME TO ARRIVE MARCH 9 As promised, the MTA is set to debut its live bus tracking service in all of Queens and the rest of Brooklyn. The MTA will launch Bus Time, which allows riders to follow realtime location of buses through any web-enabled smartphone or computer via GPS, on March 9, the agency announced on Monday, February 24. Bus Time users can also text an intersection or street address to 511123 to receive a message listing local bus routes or find out information by using a smartphone with a QR-code reader. The QR-code is printed on the Guide-A-Ride schedules posted at bus stops. The expansion adds more than 9,000 additional bus stops to the Bus Time system, which is already in all of Staten Island, the Bronx and Manhattan. COPS WENT ABOVE THE CALL BY MELIS A CHAN [email protected]/@MelissaCourier The last big snowfall to bury the city uncovered the best in two local cops. Police Officers Adrienne Galvani and Cory Smith of the 109th Precinct took a short detour from their anticrime Photo via Twitter/@NYPDnews Police Officers Adrienne Galvani and Cory Smith of the 109th Precinct helped an elderly Flushing couple dig their car out of ice and snow. patrol, shortly after the February 13 snowstorm, to help an elderly Flushing couple dig their buried car out of a thick sheet of ice. “We pictured our grandparents in that situation,” Galvani said. “As soon as we saw them, we knew we had to stop and help them.” Arnold Lederer, 98, and his wife Theresa, 86, had set aside the full day to dig out their 1997 Oldsmobile Intrigue in order to pick up an important prescription at their local pharmacy. “There was a big pile of snow behind it and a big pile in front,” Theresa said. “It was quite deep and it was already icy. We were planning to take little breathers every few minutes.” The officers took the shovels from their hands and told them to keep warm inside. For 35 minutes, they chipped away at the ice, even breaking an ice pick in the process, said the longtime Queens couple who lives on Willets Point Boulevard. With Galvani steering the wheel and Smith pushing from behind, the pair even loosened the car out of its street parking spot and checked up with the Lederers the next day. “It was the right thing to do,” said Galvani, who has been with the precinct for nearly 11 years. “They would have never gotten that car out.” The Lederers are still in shock over the act of kindness. “We were absolutely overwhelmed by their generosity and the time that they spent,” Theresa said. “They wouldn’t even accept a cup of coffee.” ‘Flea & Food’ coming to Astoria BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 Astoria, get ready! LIC Flea & Food and Kaufman Astoria Studios have announced they will be partnering up to bring the city’s first-ever backlot market called Astoria Flea & Food at Kaufman Astoria Studios. The new market, launching Sunday, May 4, will bring the community the best in food vendors, antiques, collectibles, art, crafts, fashion and much more. “After a phenomenal first season in Long Island City we are thrilled to expand to Astoria,” said Joshua Schneps, Astoria Flea & Food president. “Kaufman Astoria Studios offers the perfect location and we look forward to creating a fun and vibrant destination for the community.” Located in the studio’s outdoor lot, the first of its kind in New York City which opened in December on 36th Street between 34th and 35th Avenues, Astoria Flea & Food will operate every Sunday for eight consecutive weekends “The Kaufman Astoria Studios neighborhood has grown into a wonderfully vibrant center for art, food and culture,” said Hal Rosenbluth, president at Kaufman Astoria. “Astoria Flea is a terrific addition to our community. We look forward to making our new backlot home to eight great Sundays filled with food, art and fashion.” Visitors will also be able to pass through a brand new 40-foot high steel gated entrance, designed by David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, located at 35th Avenue. This market will act as an incubator to help promote and foster businesses, as well as be a fun and vibrant weekend spot for the entire family. “This is extremely exciting news and another example that the borough is a fantastic place to live and do business,” said Seth Bornstein, executive director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation. “Kaufman Astoria Studios is a nationally recognized landmark that has hosted such classic TV shows as ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘The Cosby Show.’ It will provide the perfect scene for a flea market.” Astoria Flea will work as a great setting for business owners to grow their businesses and gain prominence, even if they might not be ready to afford a storefront. The market will be within walking distance from the M, R, N and Q train lines. “Astoria Flea & Food will offer a worldclass shopping and culinary experience on the grounds of what has become a world-class film and television studios,” said Borough President Melinda Katz. “Its unique setting and easily accessible location will be attractive to tourists and Queens residents alike.” In addition, Astoria Flea will allow visitors to have an experience within one of the city’s most historic film and television studios, first built in 1920, which is currently home to shows such as “Orange is the New Black,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Alpha House” and “Sesame Street.” “With this neighborhood growth comes a greater need for fostering artistic culture and strengthening our small business community,” said Councilmember Costa Constantinides. “The market will be a vibrant place for Astoria’s artists and chefs to showcase their work, and will also be a place for entrepreneurs throughout the city to gain visibility for their small businesses.” Astoria Flea has partnered with The Queens Courier to promote every vendor of the market in the newspaper and online at www.queenscourier.com. In addition, BORO Magazine and the LIC Courier will also feature a monthly vendor guide focused on painters, sculptors, photographers and food. “LIC Flea is a very successful part of the Long Island City community and its expansion to Kaufman Astoria Studios is a welcome addition to our neighborhood,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “Astoria Flea & Food will bring together the great food and artistic flair that put Astoria on the map and made it a destination for people all over the world.” Vendors, from the small to the big, can apply to sell at the market at www.LICFlea. com. Updates will be available through the Facebook and Twitter accounts at Facebook. com/AstoriaFlea and @AstoriaFlea. THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano LIC Flea & Food and Kaufman Astoria Studios announced Astoria Flea & Food will be coming to Kaufman Astoria’s brand new outdoor film set in May.
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