FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com october 30, 2014 • The Queens Courier 25 RESIDENTS DEMAND CITY FIX HAZARDOUS AUBURNDALE ROAD BY ERI C JANKIE WICZ [email protected] @ericjankiewicz For several years now, residents in Auburndale have been trying to get the city to cure its depression — a sinkhole on Francis Lewis Boulevard. But calls for something to be done have brought no joy. The 5-inch-wide by 5-inch-deep trench runs the length of Francis Lewis Boulevard between 50th and 53rd avenues and has plagued motorists and homeowners for more than five years. “The depression started out as a small bump at first,” said Robert Veltri. “But over time it’s gotten so bad that every time a truck goes by it shakes the foundation of our home. We’ve had to move our bedroom to the back just so we can sleep.” In 2013 the Department of Transportation (DOT) inspected the sinkhole adjacent to a manhole cover, deeming it a “depressed area,” according to DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Dalila Hall. Because of the proximity to the manhole and sewer line, DOT sent a repair request to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). But, residents observed, nothing has been done by any city agency. “When big trucks go by, our furniture shakes,” another resident, Eileen Morrissey, said. “We can’t even stay in our house for too long. We pay too much in taxes to have this happening.” Veltri and Morrissey contacted Councilman Mark Weprin to try to get repairs done. In a letter written earlier this year, Weprin asked the DEP to “take whatever measures are necessary to address Mr. Veltri’s concerns.” In September, Weprin wrote to the Veltris and told them that the city was “currently looking into this case.” The DEP, which has not responded to requests for comment on this story, has yet to contact the Veltris regarding the letter. STOLEN YORKSHIRE TERRIER REUNITED WITH BAYSIDE OWNERS BY ERI C JANKIE WICZ [email protected] @ericjankiewicz Police reunited Nutty the Yorkshire Terrier with his Bayside owners after the dog was stolen along with the owners’ car. “We’re so relieved to have him back with us,” said Danny Morales, the dog’s owner. “I just can’t believe that he was returned to us totally unharmed, too.” On Oct. 21, Morales drove with Nutty in his dark blue Honda Accord to his job on Horace Harding Expressway and 221st Street. He left Nutty in the car with the engine on while he went in to pick up his pay at the Chinese restaurant where he works. When he returned, the car, along with Nutty, was gone. “It was like a perfect getaway, too, because the Long Island Expressway is right there and you just hop right on it,” Morales said on Oct. 24. Morales and his girlfriend Diana Oh spread flyers with a $1,000 reward, and even created a Facebook page to alert people in the neighborhood. But the search ended on Saturday, Oct. 25, when police reunited the owners with their dog at the 113th Precinct. The Bayside couple discovered that Nutty had been on a crime adventure over the last few days. Morales said he received a phone call at 2 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 25 from a woman claiming to be the dognapper’s mother. “This woman called me and you could tell she was in tears and she said that her son had taken Nutty,” Morales said. “She kept apologizing and said her son was troubled.” The mother told Morales that her son, a 19-year-old, had stolen several cars recently. Police couldn’t be reached for comment, but Morales said that the dog was found in the driver’s seat of another stolen car. The driver, the 19-yearold son, was arrested along with his alleged girlfriend. Authorities found Morales’ identification card and credit cards in the girlfriend’s wallet. “That’s when the cops realized that Nutty wasn’t just some dog,” he said. “It turns out that he took Nutty with him on all these car thefts.” Morales and Oh celebrated on Oct. 25 with family and friends. They took the dog to the veterinarian, who found nothing wrong with Nutty. “He’s acting a little weird but then again, he’s always been an oddball,” Morales said. THE COURIER/Photo by Eric Jankiewicz This application has been calendared for Public Hearing *Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 1:00 P.M. session, in Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street, Borough of Manhattan. Interested persons or associations may appear at the hearing to present testimony regarding this application. The referenced application may be reviewed by appointment at the BSA’s office, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. To schedule an appointment or to obtain subsequent information regarding additional hearing dates, please call 212-386-0009 and reference BSA Calendar Number. CALENDAR NO.: 321-13-BZ APPLICANT – Eric Palatnik, P.C., for Alejandro Finardo, owner. 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