FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 23, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3 Whitestone welcome sign damaged by storm Winter Storm Stella damaged Whitestone‘s most visible public greeting, but it will be repaired and reinstalled soon, a local civic president promised. Th e “Welcome to Whitestone” sign at Francis Lewis Boulevard and the Cross Island Parkway service road was brought down and disfi gured by winds and heavy ice introduced by the March 14 winter storm. However, Welcome to Whitestone Civic Association president Devon O’Connor wants residents to know that the sign is in good hands. “Th is aft ernoon, my team and I went to pick up the sign and will be sending it out for restoration and needed repairs,” O’Connor said on March 16. O’Connor said he could not provide an estimate as to when the sign will be ready to go back up, but said the civic group is working as quickly as it can. Suzanne Monteverdi More RadioShacks closing in Queens Aft er fi ling for bankruptcy for the second time, RadioShack will be closing 552 stores, including two more Queens locations. Th e two stores, one located at Pathmark Plaza, 134-40 Springfi eld Blvd., Springfi eld Gardens and the other at 22-32 31st St., Astoria, will be shut down by next month. Th e closings will aff ect 36 percent of the existing RadioShack stores. According to the court fi ling regarding the bankruptcy, the stores that are being shut down have the lowest sales velocity and highest rent. RadioShack went through a similar purge in 2015, closing 1,784 stores nationwide, including 12 in Queens. Emily Davenport Ulrich says he’s not running for mayor Councilman Eric Ulrich fl irted with a mayoral run for nearly a year, but on March 20, he announced that he won’t challenge Mayor Bill de Blasio this fall. In an interview with NY1, Ulrich — the lone Queens Republican in the City Council — said he would instead seek re-election to his 32nd Council District seat. He’s represented the district, which covers Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Broad Channel and the western Rockaway Peninsula, since winning a 2009 special election. “It’s something that I considered for quite some time now, mulling it over these past few months with my family, my friends and my supporters, and I’ve decided that this would not be the right move for me to make,” Ulrich told NY1. Ulrich said he might have opted to challenge de Blasio had he raised more money along the way, though he acknowledged that it’s diffi cult for any candidate to unseat an incumbent mayor. Robert Pozarycki ROBOTICS WIZARDS Young Little Neck engineers take second place in citywide competition BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 Little Neck‘s RoboPandas have earned second place in the city fi nals. Aft er hours of preparation and multiple rounds of competition against hundreds of teams from the New York area, the group of talented fi ft h-grade students at P.S. 94 in Little Neck and their coaches took home silver in the FIRST New York City Lego League Championship on Sunday, March 19. Students Th omas Kang, Elaine Jin, Jiayn Yan, Fiona Doddo, Lawrence Tom, Josh Fattore, Amanda Jacobus and Bridget O’Connell worked collaboratively through qualifi er and semi-fi - nal rounds over the last few months, actively engaging in the two main components of the competition: a research project, where they discussed the dangers of feeding waterfowl living in public parks, and a robot design, where they constructed their robot, Panda Recruit Ginny. On March 17, the dedicated team spoke about their experiences leading up to the fi nal event. “Th e qualifying round was very hard and it took a lot of eff ort, but it was worth it,” Th omas said. “We got a trophy … and in March, we got to go again.” “Th ere were teams that were high-level teams,” Elaine added. “Th ey were also from the upper grades, and we were from the lower grades. And we still persevered.” Fiona explained that the team ran into trouble during the semi-fi nals when they tried to operate their robot on a mat that was not fl attened out properly. Th e teammates decided to speak up to the referees about the situation and were granted the ability to re-do their round. “It was really pretty brave of the kids to be able to do that and show that skill set,” principal Laura Avakians said. Th e team traveled to the City College of New York on March 19 to compete in the fi nals. Prior to the competition, they couldn’t contain their enthusiasm. “We feel really pumped and excited,” Josh said. “We added a lot to our poster board; we took some stuff away … We did a lot of stuff to make the robot better so that we can achieve as much as possible.” “Even if we don’t win, we’ve learned a lot along the way, and we worked together,” Fiona said before the competition. Coach and teacher Ellie Glus said she has noticed a positive change in the kids along the journey. “Th ey’re phenomenal,” Glus said. “I Photos by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS can say they have changed personally in so many ways. And I see their presentations skills; I see how they support each other … I’m just so excited for them because they have life skills that they can take with them.” “It’s a pleasure to see how they work around a particular problem,” coach Alex Lozada said. “I don’t give them the answers; I give them the ideas, and then see what they come up with. And then I just try to boost them along the way.” Donna Jacobus, Amanda’s mother, said she too has seen a positive change in both her daughter and the entire group. “Th ey’ve all come together,” Jacobus said. “Th ey have each other’s back, in everything; other than LEGO league, as well. And, as a parent, I know they’re going to be friends for a very long time. And I love that they’re getting this experience.” Whitestone group helps leukemia patient BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 A Whitestone athletic group has joined the list of generous locals who have organized to help a sick young resident. Chloe Mitchell, a fi rst-grade student at P.S. 193, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this month shortly aft er her spring break. Th e young resident is currently undergoing chemotherapy. Shortly aft er the diagnosis, a family friend set up a GoFundMe page for the girl and her family. A local group, We Love Whitestone civic association, began to help spread the word and opened up another venue for donations days later. Now, Whitestone’s Dwarf Giraff e Athletic League is stepping up to help out. “Chloe plays in our instructional program, which meets every Saturday morning,” said Jose Rodriguez, corresponding secretary at the organization. “One of our parents approached us and told us about the situation, and we were trying to fi nd out a way to try and help the family and support them.” Rodriguez said he approached the league’s board about the situation, and the group began brainstorming ways to lend a helping hand. In result, at Dwarf Giraff e’s “All Star Basketball Saturday” on March 25, the organization will donate $1 for every point scored during the eight-hour event to Chloe and her family. Th e day-long aff air will feature eight games played by talented boys and girls in the organization’s basketball league. Th e athletic league also set up a donation box for Chloe and her family at the gym. According to Rodriguez, $1,600 was collected on the fi rst night alone. Th e event will take place at Dwarf Giraff e Athletic League, located at 149- 50 15th Rd., and will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Th ose interested in attending or donating can drop by at any point during the event. “We’ll be open all day long,” Rodriguez said. Dwarf Giraff e Athletic League is a nonprofi t organization. Founded in 1955, the organization off ers baseball, basketball and roller hockey programs for girls and boys ages 4 to 18 and emphasizes instruction, sportsmanship and teamwork. The RoboPanda Robotics team at P.S. 4. Photo courtesy of Dwarf Giraff e/Inset via GoFundMe A Whitestone athletic league will host a fundraising event to support a sick young resident this weekend.
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