16 The QUEE NS Courier • AUGUST 4, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Three-alarm blaze wipes out Whitestone’s Strawberry Farms supermarket Family of drowned autistic student receives $2.7M in wrongful death lawsuit settlement By Alec Posner editorial@qns.com/@QNS Almost three years after 14-yearold Avonte Oquendo was found dead, New York City will pay the family $2.7 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit. In October 2013, an autistic student, Oquendo, vanished from Riverview School in Long Island City. Three months later, his body was found washed up on a beach in College Point, nine miles away from the school, after he drowned in East River. The wrongful death suit accused school officials and the NYPD safety division for negligence for failing to watch the exit doors and not supervising the teen who had a history of being a flight risk. The family may also be able to find solace in the fact that laws were changed due to their child’s death. “Kevin and Avonte’s Law” was recently introduced. It was named after Oquendo and autistic 9-yearold Kevin Curtis Wills, who wandered from his home and drowned in Iowa’s Raccoon River in 2008. “This bipartisan bill applies proven community alert systems to help locate people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and related disorders who may be susceptible to wandering away from safety. It also supports training for first responders and other community officials to better prevent and respond to these cases,” explained Senate Judiciary C o m m i t t e e Chairman Chuck Grassley. According to a recent national survey, a third of school-age children with autism had wandered away from caregivers. The story was first reported by The Daily News. By Brianna Ellis bellis@qns.com/@briinformed The charred interior of the Strawberry Farms market in Whitestone is all that’s left of the business and several neighboring storefronts after a three-alarm fire on the night of Aug. 2. The Fire De p a r tme n t c o n f i r m e d that the family owned supermarket, located at 24-11 150th St. near Willets Point Boulevard, burst into flames at 9:05 p.m. More than 180 firefighters rushed to the scene and extinguished the raging blaze by 2:09 a.m. According to authorities, four firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated at NewYork- Presbyterian/Queens Hospital. No civilians were reported injured. Firefighters and police officers at the scene could not disclose any additional information to The Courier. Bystanders who stood in front of the local grocery store were also hesitant to talk. The next-door M&M Dry Cleaners and laundromat were also completely destroyed by the flames. The cause of this fire is under investigation. File photo/QNS Avonte Oquendo Photo courtesy Mark Mallone A three-alarm blaze struck the Strawberry Farms supermarket in Whitestone on Aug. 2. Photo: Brianna Ellis/QNS Our Summer Sale Continues! Call Andy x3629 for special pricing ARENSON OFFICE FURNITURE 66-35 Otto Road, Glendale, NY 11385 718.628.6103 Hours 9-5 M-F; Sat by appointment only Please ask fo r Andy #3629 Arenson Offi ce Furnishings is one of NYC’s oldest and largest Executive Offi ce Furnishings dealers. We serve NY’s most prestigious companies with some of the world’s best offi ce furniture. Our Pre-Owned furniture refl ects this work, offering your company prestigious, very well made commercial furniture at a fraction of the original cost. Look to Arenson for both ‘everyday’ and ‘hi-end’ office furniture. Call Now & End Your Tax Nightmare! • Owe the IRS more than $10,000? • Being Audited? • Unfi led Tax Returns? • Wage & Bank Levies? Co-Author of the best selling book “Breaking the Tax Code” (T) 877-TAX-1040 (F) 718-894-4476 Salvatore P. Candela, EA, ATA, ABA Enrolled Agent - Tax Advisor scandela@thetaxadvocategroup.com www.thetaxadvocategroup.com
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