14 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 3, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Photos courtesy of Geoff rey Croft/NYC Parks Advocates
Symbols of hate
found on trees in
Forest Park
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Messages of hate were discovered
painted onto natural features inside of
Forest Park last week, according to a
nonprofi t parks watchdog.
NYC Parks Advocates reported on
July 27 that city Parks Department
employees found swastikas and
homophobic graffi ti on tree trunks and
even rocks in a secluded area of the
park at about 4 p.m. on July 25. Th e
vandalism was discovered in the vicinity
of Park Lane South and 112th Street,
a short distance from the Long Island
Rail Road’s Montauk branch.
It wasn’t immediately known how
long the graffi ti had been there. Th e
swastikas and slurs, which included “Kill
gay ppl (sic)” and “F–K F–S,” were painted
in yellow, red and white spray paint.
According to Geoff rey Croft of
NYC Parks Advocates, the matter was
referred to the 102nd Precinct, which
is reportedly investigating the crime as
an episode of criminal mischief.
A law enforcement source said that
the NYPD Hate Crimes Squad has
also been notifi ed. No arrests, however,
have been made at this time.
St. Albans school gets coding lesson
Photos provided by Google
Students at P.S. 15 learn coding skills from a Google employee.
Queens Dems put CB 12 chair
on ballot for Wills’ Council seat
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Adrienne Adams is now in the race to
succeed expelled City Councilman Ruben
Wills, and the Community Board 12
chairperson immediately got a boost from
two prominent Queens Democrats —
including the head of the county’s party.
Adams formally announced her candidacy
on July 27, a week aft er Wills was
convicted of public corruption charges
and subsequently booted from offi ce.
Wills had been planning to seek re-election
to the 28th Council District seat
he once held, and was slated to face
two Democratic challengers: community
activist Richard David and attorney
Hettie Powell.
Now the race takes another twist with
Adams’ sudden entry; she had unsuccessfully
challenged state Senator James
Sanders Jr. in last year’s Democratic primary.
In announcing her City Council
candidacy on July 27, she also touted the
endorsement of Congressman Gregory
Meeks, who represents much of the 28th
Council District, and Congressman Joe
Crowley, the chairperson of the Queens
County Democratic Party.
“As I campaign to represent the people
of the 28th Council District, I am
proud to have the support of Congress
Members Crowley and Meeks, and look
forward to partnering with them and
my many friends in the City Council to
improve economic opportunity, transportation
options and overall quality of
life in Rochdale, Jamaica, Richmond Hill
and South Ozone Park,” Adams said.
Th e Democratic primary is on Sept. 12,
a little more than six weeks away, and
the petitioning process to get on the ballot
ended some time ago. A source familiar
with the situation told QNS that the
Queens County Democratic Party selected
Adams to fi ll the primary ballot slot
which Wills had vacated following his
conviction. Under party regulations, a
“committee on vacancies” is convened
whenever a candidate on the ballot suddenly
drops out following the petitioning
process. However, this does not constitute
a party endorsement of the candidate
chosen to fi ll the vacant slot, as individual
party members may endorse the candidate
of their choice on their own.
Adams was elected as Board 12 chairperson
in 2013. She described herself as
having “a pivotal role in shaping the district’s
priorities for city budget funding,
advocating passionately for constituents
seeking improved public services and
skillfully guiding reviews of development
and zoning proposals.”
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Students at a school in St.
Albans got the special opportunity
to learn coding basics directly
from the pros.
Technology giant Google
brought their “CS First Roadshow”
to young learners in fourth
through eighth grade at P.S. 15,
the Jackie Robinson School, on
July 26.
In an hour-long presentation,
two Google employees taught a
room full of eager students technical
coding and problem solving
skills through a series of interactive
activities. Connecting each
lesson to real-life, the workshop
leaders encouraged students to
take an interest in coding and
STEM education, which has the
potential to lead them to a number
of exciting education and career
opportunities.
Th e young learners also had the
opportunity to use “Scratch,” a
free programming tool developed by
the MIT where users can create their
own interactive stories, games and animations.
“Kids are exposed to technology at
such an early age, but don’t necessarily
get to learn about why computer science
should be an important part of their
lives — both now and in the future,” said
Carley Graham Garcia, a Google spokesperson.
“We want the next generation of
students to be able to create technology,
not just consume it.”
Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman also
spoke to students at the event about the
importance of STEM education.
“Th e tech industry is projected to grow
signifi cantly in the near future, students
in our community need to be ready for
the careers and opportunities of the
21st-century,” the lawmaker said. “I’m
proud to work with Google on our strategic
vision to incorporate computer literacy
and other technical curricula into
schools in the 29th Assembly district.
Th is is the fi rst step in a series of initiatives
for our community.”
To learn more about Google’s CS First
program, visit www.cs-fi rst.com/en/
home.
Photo courtesy of Adrienne Adams
Community Board 12 Adrienne Adams is in the
race to succeed former City Councilman Ruben
Wills