8 The Queens Courier • APRIL 14, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Returning fireworks could mean big biz for LIC waterfront BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com/@CristabelleT A boom is coming back to the western Queens waterfront this Independence Day. After moving to the Hudson River in 2009, the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks show is returning to the East River this summer, the department store and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday, April 14. The location change is expected to benefit local businesses along the river that previously saw increased traffic during the festivities. “It was actually an emptiness that the East River had. It was basically a tradition we had lost for five years,” said Tony Raouf, owner of Riverview Restaurant & Lounge. Located close to Gantry Plaza State Park, a popular fireworks viewing spot in years past, Riverview is planning on having a celebration with a band this year. Waterfront Crab House, another Long Island City eatery near the East River, on Borden Avenue, used to close the street down during the holiday and hold a fundraiser for children’s cancer before the fireworks moved. Parking changes and construction no longer make the closure possible, according to Barbara Heden, the restaurant’s manager. “This July Fourth probably won’t be like it used to be, but will bring us business,” she said. Heden expects business will quadruple compared to last year. She also said the newly-created Hunter’s Point South Park, which is located on Center Boulevard between 50th and 54th avenues and did not exist when the fireworks were formerly on the East River, will help bring in more crowds. Z NYC Hotel, opened in 2011 at 43rd Avenue and 11th Street, is already developing special July Fourth events and programming for the holiday that it will be announcing soon, according to Lisa Gneo, director of sales and marketing. “This will be a great opportunity for many businesses in Long Island City and another way to generate tremendous revenue for our hotel and the community,” she said. The country’s largest pyrotechnic July Fourth display, the fireworks will be launched from the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time and from barges positioned on Photo courtesy of Macy’s the lower East River. Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s events, said at the announcement that the move to the East River is not permanent. “I’m sure when there’s something else to celebrate — or a reason to move — we will look to do so,” she said. But the mayor said he would do everything possible “to make the East River location as typical as possible — as frequent as possible.” Queens businesses are gearing up for a profitable July Fourth now that the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks are returning to the East River. PORT AUTHORITY BIDS FAREWELL TO K-9 PARTNER BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com aaltamirano28 The Port Authority Police Department said goodbye to one of its best friends, a German shepherd named Phoenix, who helped protect the city’s travelers for more than seven years. Phoenix, a member of the K-9 Unit, Explosives Detection, recently passed away after fighting a long battle with cancer. The bomb-sniffing dog was assigned to the unit in 2007 at 2 years old and since then loyally served alongside PAPD Officer Donald Golding. “Phoenix never wavered in his dedication to duty,” Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo said. “He was a good will ambassador and a crime fighter, and he will be missed.” For over seven years, Phoenix, who lived with Golding, started the day at John F. Kennedy International Airport and from there was deployed throughout the city. Together with Golding, Phoenix searched thousands of unattended bags and packages as part of the PAPD’s mission to protect travelers at its airports, seaports, terminals and PATH system, Pentangelo said. Phoenix was also featured in the PAPD’s 2014 wall calendar and appeared on one of the Port Authority’s public awareness posters. When he wasn’t taking a bite out of crime, the German shepherd also took part in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s community outreach, where children were able to enjoy Phoenix’s “playful nature,” Pentangelo said. Images Courtesy of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police Department K-9 Phoenix, who dedicated over seven years to protecting the city’s traveling public, recently lost his battle to cancer.
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