FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com DECEMBER 26, 2013 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17 s year in photos COMPILED BY COURIER STAFF January THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan OBAMA OKS SANDY AID Exactly three months to the day that Sandy hit, President Obama signed a $50.5 billion Sandy aid bill on January 29. The Senate passed the legislation in a 62 to 36 vote, preceded by the House two weeks earlier. It was the fi nal portion of an approximately $60 billion Sandy relief package. Earlier in the month, the president signed a $9.7 billion aid bill that temporarily increased the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program. As we bid adieu to 2013, The Queens Courier brings you a look at the year that was . . . from the selection of a new Pope to the downfall of our elected offi cials, to tragedy, controversy and everything in between. And as we look ahead to 2014, we wish our new legislators luck and the best year for our readers. YEARWAS Marshall’s fi nal State of the Borough In the fi nal State of the Borough address of her administration, on January 22, Borough President Helen Marshall focused on the continued recovery of south Queens nearly three months after Sandy, honoring one fi rst responder in particular for his valiant efforts during the storm—Dylan Smith, the Belle Harbor surfer who tragically died in Puerto Rico in December 2012. Marshall, covering several other items on her 2013 agenda, also during the address called for continued legislation at the state and federal level to reduce gun violence. Bus strike On January 16, drivers from Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union walked off the job, impacting 152,000 students, including 54,000 with disabilities. In an effort to cut costs, the city wanted to put contracts out to bid for 1,100 routes for the fi rst time in 33 years. The union was objecting to the lack of job guarantees in the contract bid specifi cations and safety issues that could arise if current drivers are replaced with less experienced ones. The school bus fi nally came to an end in mid February. THE THAT LIC crane collapses Seven workers suffered minor injuries when a crane collapsed at a Long Island City building site at Center Boulevard and 46th Avenue on January 9. Later that month, the Department of Buildings issued 12 violations to several parties involved in the collapse, including the crane’s operator, the contractor, the site safety manager and the property owner. THE COURIER/Photo by Alexa Altman THE COURIER/Photo by Alexa Altman THE COURIER/Photo by Terence M. Cullen
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