26 The QUEE NS Courier • MAY 2, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial letters THE QUEENS Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Terence Cullen, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Jan DiGeronimo Maria Romero Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Director, Business Developm ent Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. 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Do better with litter On the northeast corner of Northern Boulevard and the Clearview Expressway in Bayside is a green area where the Soldier’s Monument proudly stands. The monument commemorates the sacrifices that our brave men and women made serving in the armed forces during wartime. Unfortunately, this green area is frequently littered. Recently, I picked up a bag of cups, remains of lunches and other bits and pieces of debris that some people thoughtlessly left behind near this symbol of honor. And I thought how disgraceful that this special site should be befouled with garbage, this site where we should be remembering and respecting our fallen heroes. This is not the first time I stopped to pick up litter there. There used to be a litter basket by the bus stop in front of the monument. But it is gone. Again. My understanding is that Sanitation keeps taking the baskets away because people keep putting household garbage in them. But is it better to take away the baskets and have litter left on the ground by the monument and other areas? It does not make sense to me. Litter baskets along much of Northern Boulevard keep getting removed. So where does the debris go? It goes in the streets, or is left on the sidewalks, or it clogs the catch basins, or it lands in green areas. I walk a lot and I have been astonished at the amount of litter that I see on my travels of late. Garbage and litter is also a problem by many businesses throughout the community. And let’s not forget the dog poop issue. Why do some owners allow their pets to poop on sidewalks and then just leave it behind for someone to step in? It is time for all of us to be more cognizant about these problems. If you have litter, please dispose of it properly. Please pick up after your pet like most owners do. Sanitation also has to improve its efforts in confronting this issue. All members of the community, including businesses, should do their part in keeping their neighborhood litter free and beautiful. Henry Euler Bayside Ferry makes sense “Go for a Ride” (Andy Altamirano, April 25) concerning expansion of ferry service to Astoria makes sense. Our waterways are an underutilized natural asset which can offer significant transportation alternatives for thousands of New Yorkers. Most of our existing public transportation and roadways are already operating at or above capacity. New ferry services can be implemented far more quickly than construction of new subway, commuter rail or highways. These can take years or even decades until completion of environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, real estate acquisition, permits, procurements and actual construction before reaching beneficial use. Completing all of the above along with finding funding for ferry boats, docks and parking with costs in the millions may be easier than finding the billions of dollars necessary for construction of new or extended subway, commuter rail or highways. Utilization of ferry boats equipped with modern fuel-efficient engines can make a positive contribution to air quality. Who would not want to enjoy the fresh air and breeze that only waterborne transportation can provide? Riding a ferry can be less stressful than being packed in a subway car like sardines in a can. Larry Penner Thank you, life savers As chair of the City Council 19th District blood drives, I would like to thank the 29 concerned northeast Queens residents who volunteered to give the gift of life during our blood drive in Whitestone on Saturday, April 20. Thanks to modern techniques, the precious platelets which last just a few days may have already helped a half dozen endangered patients or more. The red blood cells are helping people now and the extracted blood plasma and other components could help to preserve a life as far in the future as April of 2014. According to the Red Cross, nationally the most-likely blood donor is a late-30s male college graduate. Anyone familiar with our Queens neighborhoods knows that we aren’t “average” about very much. Most of our donors were women, and most donors were in all likelihood considerably older than 35, begging the question, “Where are the young donors?” Many thanks once again to those who care more about others than they do about the headlines and I hope to see more young, firsttime donors in the future. It’s the one heroic thing you can do while relaxing in an easy chair. Victor G. Mimoni BOUNCING BACK For those in south Queens whose lives were irrevocably damaged the night of October 29, 2012, it has been a long road. The past six months have been filled with repairs and rebuilding as the area struggles to return to a sense of normalcy. And though the work is not yet done, there have been milestones along the way. Take, for instance, last week’s reversal of course. In response to a call by elected officials, “qualified homeowners” battling with insurance companies who had resorted to paying for damages out of their own pockets may be reimbursed. And just this past weekend, the Petco on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach reopened – significant because there are only eight businesses still closed along the commercial stretch. Some were able to bounce back just weeks after floodwaters caused thousands of dollars worth of damage. For others, it’s been a major struggle. And for some, Sandy might have proven to be a death knell. It remains to be seen whether 7-Eleven and Jennifer Convertibles will reopen in Howard Beach. As the days and weeks continue to fly by, we urge our local, state and federal officials to continue providing aid to those who lost most or all. POLICE NEED YOUR HELP When news broke late last week of a terrifying robbery in Beechhurst, our first reaction was to be grateful that the family of four, including two little girls ages 7 and 10, was unharmed. Our next reaction: let’s help police arrest whoever is responsible. The four armed robbers broke into the home, tied up the family and held them at gunpoint before making off with $87,000 in cash and jewelry. So far, no arrests have been made. Neighbors on the quiet street were shocked to hear of such a heinous act. “Everybody’s concerned,” said Alfredo Centola, president of the Malba Gardens Civic Association. “People are locking their doors, keeping their eyes open. We’re just alert.” But thanks to technology, the NYPD has released video of the suspects. You can view it at www.queenscourier.com in an effort to apprehend them. Police say all four perps are men in their 20s. One was wearing red sneakers with a black Nike swoosh. So please, if you have any information, we implore you to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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