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QC05282015

44 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 28, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com editorial THE QUEENS VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH GRAZIELLA ZERILLI STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JENNIFER DECIO, CHERYL GALLAGHER LIAM LA GUERRE, CRISTABELLE TUMOLA, ANGY ALTAMIRANO KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA, ALINA SURIEL CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI CRISTABELLE TUMOLA DEMETRA PLAGAKIS LOUISE CAVALIERE CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS PUBLISHER & EDITOR 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 EVENTS MANAGER SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.queenscourier.com editorial e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com for advertising e-mail: ads@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2015 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 offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. “Jones Beach. My family and friends can access it easily.” Kyle Damiao BY ALINA SURIEL “I’m not a beach person actually. I don’t like the sun too much. They say it’s bad for you.” Chris Espotia “I’m probably not going to the beach this year. I’m busy, and I don’t have a car so it’s hard to get to beaches around here. I’ve been to Oyster Bay.” Michele Jackson “Long Beach, because I get to go with my friends!” Ava Loftus, student “And they have a great long boardwalk.” Marie Loftus “I don’t go to the beach in New York. It’s pretty dirty and the water doesn’t look as good as the Caribbean.” Stephanie Victoria “Jones Beach. It has good vibes. The people are friendly.” Wilfredo Zelaya street talk “I will be going to Long Beach. Although it’s a little far from where I live, I like that it’s clean, has waves, and has a lot of options for food. And if you go in the morning, it’s a lot quieter.” Sarah Garcia “Jones Beach. It’s close. We go every now and then to have a good time.” Corey Marks What is your favorite beach?  SNAPS QUEENS A Peace Pole in Bayside Photo by The Queens Courier staff Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us via our Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@ queenscourier.com. City should invest in Queens Library Last year’s New York City budget topped out at a record $70 billion; the new budget deal currently being negotiated between the mayor and City Council fi gures to top that number. By contrast, the Queens Borough Public Library is seeing an additional $18.2 million for the next fi scal year to expand its programs, add some 200 jobs and restore six-day service at all its branches. That amounts to approximately 0.0026 percent of the city’s budget — it’s not even big enough to be called a drop in the bucket. But that extra cash for the Queens Library can do so much for the people of Queens. According to interim Queens Library boss Bridget Quinn-Carey, the funding can help expand the library’s free English as a second language program, opening the doors of economic opportunity to hundreds of immigrants in the borough. It also allows every library in Queens to be open on Saturdays, giving students an extra day to research the reference materials and borrow books for school projects. Queens Library went through a rough 2014 under its scandalscarred former president, but it is making a turnaround thanks to various reforms of the library system made from the top down. With many careful eyes now on this venerable institution, it’s the best time for the city to make a substantial investment toward making the Queens Borough Public Library work better. We urge our readers to support Queens Library by joining the “Invest in Libraries” movement, which aims to bring a combined $70 million in funds to the Queens, New York and Brooklyn public library systems. Visit www. investinlibraries.org for information on how you can help. The juggling act of rent regulation In the last two issues, you’ve read columns from both sides in the ongoing debate regarding rent regulation in New York City. This debate has happened periodically through the years, but it comes at a very critical period. New York City rents are going through the roof almost everywhere. Renters who are priced out of Manhattan are fl ocking to Queens neighborhoods such as Astoria and Ridgewood, driving up both housing demand and rents there — and pricing out long-time residents as a consequence. Landlords deserve to make money off their investments, and tenants deserve to reside in New York City without breaking the bank. This city has always been a notoriously expensive place to live, and proper rent regulations have always kept the scales as moderate as possible. Too much regulation, and the city risks losing investment from landlords; too little regulation, and the city risks losing the middle-class tax base that keeps it going. A sharp turn in either direction spells economic disaster for all. Our lawmakers should continue moderate rent regulations while expanding affordable housing and assistance programs to keep New Yorkers in New York.


QC05282015
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