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QC07182013

16 The Queens Courier • JUly 18, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶politics SHAFRAN: LIRR CUTS WILL WREAK HAVOC BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com The upcoming cuts to peak weekday Long Island Rail Road service in Bayside have left commuters outraged, yet the MTA said the brief inconvenience will result in long-term improvements. From July 22 to August 16, the LIRR will cancel five rush-hour trains including the westbound 7:55 a.m. train from Little Neck and 8 a.m. train from Bayside to Penn Station. The cancellations are due to construction on the East Side Access mega-project in Sunnyside. The cuts have left Austin Shafran, candidate THE COURIER/ Photo by Angy Altamirano Austin Shafran, candidate for City Council District 19, gathered signatures from commuters calling on the MTA to provide alternatives to LIRR cuts. NONPROFIT EXEC TURNS HIMSELF IN Allegedly lined his pockets BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com The executive of a Queens nonprofit group has turned himself into the authorities. Van Holmes, the president of the Young Leaders Institute Inc., allegedly pocketed more than $85,000 by creating false records and forged documents which he filed through state and city agencies, according to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The investigation, conducted by Schneiderman, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and the Department of Investigation, is looking into former State Senator Shirley Huntley’s possible involvement with the funds. The criminal complaint alleges that from 2007 to 2010, Holmes obtained three member-item grants sponsored by Huntley. Sally Butler, Huntley’s lawyer, said the former pol’s only involvement was contributing money in support of Holmes’ youth program as well as other community groups. In one incident, Holmes allegedly created false invoices and payment records to make it seem he had taken 50 youths on trips to a retreat center. But no such trips occurred, and Holmes instead took the funds for himself. “Van Holmes pocketed tens of thousands of state and city taxpayer dollars meant to help low-income students and their families,” Schneiderman said. “The men and women elected to public office and put in charge of public service organizations have a special responsibility to protect the public interest.” DiNapoli said Holmes allegedly used the stolen funds to pay for clothing, car repairs and theater tickets. “It’s shameful,” he added. Holmes is charged with grand larceny, forgery, falsifying business records and offering a false instrument for filing. If convicted, he could face to 15 years in prison. for the City Council District 19, calling on the MTA to provide alternatives during the construction period that would leave commuters with a 46-minute gap between trains. “The MTA’s unnecessary and irresponsible decision to cancel service will force even more people onto overcrowded trains, turning a difficult situation into a dangerous ride for commuters,” said Shafran, who began gathering signatures on Wednesday, July 17 to send to the MTA. “Northeast Queens is already a transit desert, yet facing the hottest month of the year, the MTA is further taking away vital access to mass transit that commuters rely on.” In a letter to the MTA, Shafran suggested temporarily converting the 7:47 a.m. express train from Great Neck to a semi-express train stopping at Little Neck at 7:50 a.m. and Bayside at 8:01 a.m. However, according to Aaron Donovan, MTA deputy director for external communications, the LIRR will provide a train 33 minutes earlier and 12 minutes later from the peak hour trains. He also said in the long run, the construction will help bring less congestion and delays. “In the end, this will make things easier by providing a new destination in Manhattan on the east side under Grand Central,” said Donovan. “It will help decongest a very critical part of our railroad. The work associated with this track outage will help provide a new route so that Amtrak and the LIRR will no longer interfere with each other in Sunnyside.” • New Construction • Newborn – 4 Years • Age Specific Classrooms • Newborn Nursery & Infant • Toddlers & Pre-school • Part-Time & Full-Time Options • Learning through Stimulated Play, Music, Dance, & Discovery • Meals Included Call for more info & Registration 718.838.9243 213-54 35th Avenue, Bayside www.littleapplepreschool.com FREE Registration plus $500 OFF with this ad st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place


QC07182013
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