FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com NOVEMBER 24, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3 Flushing rallies for safer pedestrian conditions near schools Big STEM grant for Queens College Nearly $1 million in funding has been allocated to Queens College in Flushing to help Hispanic and low-income students graduate with degrees in the school’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Congresswoman Grace Meng announced on Monday, Nov. 21, the $968,562 grant awarded to Queens College for maintaining and improving its Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program, an initiative to improve and expand the school’s capacity to service Hispanic and other low-income students. “STEM plays an important role in our city, state and nation and will continue to do so in the future,” Meng said. “It is crucial that we attract students to the STEM fi elds, especially traditionally underrepresented students, in order to meet the demand for STEM skills, and these federal funds will help accomplish that here in our borough. I thank Queens College for all its efforts in STEM, and I’m thrilled to deliver the good news about these critical funds.” Suzanne Monteverdi Former Bayside fi xture gets renovated The Gable Inn, once a popular restaurant and bar in Bayside, is long gone, and crews are in the process of renovating the former eatery for other purposes. Located at 201-01 Northern Blvd., the Gable Inn opened in the 1960s and closed in the early 2000s. It was rebranded as The Inn but closed many months ago. It’s not yet known what will replace the restaurant; according to real estate website MLSLI, the space was sold on Sept. 28 of this year for $1,650,000. Department of Buildings (DOB) work permits for the site have been issued to Duk Jun Park of DKT Contractors LLC based in Flushing. Permits for “minor interior renovations on existing commercial space” are posted on the construction fencing and expire next year. Suzanne Monteverdi Crowley won’t challenge Pelosi for Dem leadership Congressman Joe Crowley announced on Nov. 17 that he is seeking to become the chair of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representatives after it was reported that he had been considering a possible challenge to Nancy Pelosi as the caucus leader. The position of chairperson, currently held by Congressman Xavier Becerra of California, is the fourth-highest within the caucus. The Hill reported on Nov. 16 that House Democrats were attempting to convince Crowley, currently the vice chair of the Democratic caucus, to run against Pelosi, the former speaker of the house, for the party’s leadership in the House. In a letter to fellow Democrats in the House on Nov. 17, Crowley said that the results of the Nov. 8 election — in which Republicans retained their majorities in the House and Senate, and their nominee, Donald Trump, was elected president — signaled that House Democrats “must be focused on developing policies and messages that better resonate with the American people.” “I am committed to creating an inclusive environment within our caucus, which means broadening beyond the usual messengers and building our strategies and our goals from the ground up,” Crowley wrote. Robert Pozarycki BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected] @smont76 Students, parents and politicians rallied on the afternoon of Nov. 18 in Flushing for “School Safety for All,” supporting a package of bills aimed at making the city’s streets safer for all students to cross. “It is time to have every school in the city of New York designated a safe slow zone for our children,” Councilman Paul Vallone said at the rally on Nov. 18 in the J.H.S. playground. The legislation, which was written by Vallone, was drafted in response to two recent tragic incidents outside of J.H.S. 185 and J.H.S. 194 involving students being hit by vehicles — one which left an 11-year-old boy critically injured. The three bills would require school safety slow zones at all elementary and middle schools in the city, reduce speed limits to a maximum of 20 miles per hour and reexamine every existing school slow zone to determine if any further appropriate safety measures are necessary, including enhanced signage, speed bumps and additional crossing guards. “We’ve got to be safe going to school; we should feel that the city wants us to be safe,” eighth-grade student Angela Sierra said. “The city should look out for us.” Another bill by Vallone would require that the DOT install at least 100 pedestrian countdown signals at intersections adjacent to schools and parks every year. “It is time to get all of these pieces in place. It sounds so simple but it still hasn’t happened. So that’s why we push with this legislation,” Vallone said. A petition written by parents calling for more crossing guards at the school and other middle schools throughout the city also circulated at the rally. “I commend Council member Vallone for introducing this legislation and making sure that the Department of Transportation (DOT) doesn’t have the leeway to reject a speed bump, doesn’t have the leeway to reject a school’s slow zone,” state Senator Tony Avella said. “No child should ever be injured when going to school or coming back home.” Councilman Barry Grodenchik and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic were also in attendance to show their support for the legislation. Previously, Vallone secured a slow zone for J.H.S. 185 and was able to have the DOT agree to convert 21st Road and 21st Avenue surrounding P.S. 184 to one-way streets per the school’s request. Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS Students stand up for safer pedestrian conditions in areas surrounding schools.
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