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QC10202016

8 The QUEE NS Courier • OCTOBER 20, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Queens residents are most likely to be binge drinkers after Manhattan dwellers surveyed for this study. Binge drinkers were more likely to be white men from the ages of 25 to 44. They were also more likely to be uninsured, less likely to have a routine health care provider and were twice as likely to be smokers. Interestingly, binge drinkers had the highest rates of employment – 71.9 percent compared to non-drinkers at 47.2 percent. They were also more likely to be college graduates (44.2 percent) than non-binge drinkers (41.7 percent) and non-drinkers (22.3 percent). Overall, three in 10, or 29 percent of adults surveyed for this study, were binge drinkers and the prevalence of binge drinking in New York City remained stable from 2011 to 2014. There are nearly 1,800 deaths attributed to alcohol every year and an average of 84,000 alcohol-related emergency department visits. Binge drinking increases the risk of depression, cirrhosis, hepatitis, sleep problems, The Department of Health suggest alternating drinks with water, agreeing on a drink limit with friends or choosing different social activities Thieves fishing mail for checks in NE Queens By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com /@smont76 Using makeshift devices — including sticky mouse traps and bottles dipped into adherent solutions — attached to a string, thieves are fishing mail containing checks out of U.S. Postal Service mailboxes in northeast Queens. Law enforcement agents at the Oct. 12 meeting of the 109th Precinct Community Council warned Flushing, Whitestone and College Point residents about two mail theft trends that have hit the area and the city. “Perpetrators put a contraption into mailboxes on the street,” Police Officer Mark Burger of the precinct’s Anti Crime Unit said. “And they take out the envelopes; they take all the mail.” After removing the mail, thieves sort through the envelopes looking for checks, according to Burger. Using an acetone solution, perpetrators alter both the payee and monetary value on the checks and cash them in for themselves — leaving the sender in the dark until it’s too late. “If you see on the mailboxes a sticky substance…or markings on the drop door, I’d be very hesitant about using that mailbox,” Burger said. When writing checks, Burger suggests using a Uniball 207 gel pen, which contains a pigmented ink that adheres to paper. The model can be found at most office supply stores. “The pen makes the check very difficult to alter and wash,” Burger said. Burger also suggested dropping envelopes containing checks into public mailboxes as close as possible to the posted collection time to ensure they are delivered into the right hands. There have been other mail-related thefts in the area, according to Burger. Thieves have been known By Angela Matua amatua@qns.com /@angelamatua Queens residents really like to drink, according to a recent study released by the Department of Health. The study “Binge Drinking and Associated Health-Related Behaviors among Adults in New York City, 2014” was released on Oct. 11. It found that 25.3 percent of Queens residents are binge drinkers, the second highest percentage before Manhattan, where 29.9 percent of residents are classified as binge drinkers. Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks for men and four or more alcoholic drinks for women on one occasion during the past 30 days. Queens also came in second in terms of non-drinking adults. The study found that 30.8 percent of residents identified as nondrinking, which is slightly less than the even drier Brooklyn with 31.5 percent of non-drinking adults. In this study, non-drinking is defined as never drinking or not consuming at least one alcoholic drink during the past 30 days. Approximately 9,000 New York City residents ages 18 and older were a weakened immune system and more. to prevent risks associated with binge drinking. to search through residential mailboxes within apartment buildings for checks, credit cards and personal information. Burger suggested residents avoid leaving outgoing mail in outboxes over weekends or holidays, and try and pick up their mail as early and frequently as possible. In addition, residents should shred any canceled or voided checks, credit card statements or any other documents containing personal information. Deputy Inspector Judith Harrison, the precinct’s commanding officer, Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS did have some good news to report on the topic. “We made two arrests on residential mail thefts this morning,” Harrison said. “When it’s all said and done, we were able to tie these people to mail thefts dating back to a year ago. So we’re gonna drop a lot of complaint reports associated with them, and hopefully they’ll be away for a long time.” Officials encouraged residents who see any suspicious activity around U.S. Postal or residential mailboxes to call 911 and leave an anonymous tip.


QC10202016
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