FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 30, 2021 • YEAR IN REVIEW • THE QUEENS COURIER 21
year in review
Queens’ top stories from September 2021
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
QNS is looking back at the top stories
throughout 2021, as we look forward to
2022.
Below are the top stories from the month
of September, when a deadly tropical storm
ravaged Queens at the beginning of the
month. Another big story that month was
a grade fraud and inappropriate behavior
scandal in Maspeth High School.
Remnants of Tropical Storm
Ida devastated Queens
Torrential downpours from the remnants
of Hurricane Ida caused massive
fl ooding throughout New York City late
Sept. 1, and into the early morning hours
of Sept. 2. Th at resulted in about 11 deaths
in Queens, according to authorities.
Seven of those deaths happened inside
basements, including the death of a mother,
father and their 2-year-old son in
Woodside.
Woodside residents on 64th Street were
devastated to learn that the family of three
was found dead, as they cleaned their
homes and tried to fi x their disabled cars
while fi refi ghters and police offi cers were
at the scene assessing the damage.
News of the family’s death left Martha
Suarez shaken and heartbroken, as she
stood across the street from their residence.
According to Suarez, the family
was from Nepal and had lived in the basement
apartment for about fi ve years.
“All of them died? I can’t believe that,”
Suarez said, as tears streamed down her face.
Among the victims was a woman
who was discovered by officers from
the 114th Precinct on the morning of
Sept. 2 on the Grand Central Parkway
near the Brooklyn Expressway.
The woman was found unresponsive
inside a burnt vehicle, which police
believed was involved in a car crash
the night before.
Many residents and local business
owners reported devastating damage
to their homes and shops as a result
of the tropical storm, which brought
a record-setting 7.13 inches of rain in
the city on the night of Sept. 1, according
to the National Weather Service.
Frankie Recarte, the superintendent
at an apartment building in Astoria
Park South, said he lost everything in
a matter of 10 minutes as the water
reached his waist. Recarte fled to higher
levels of the building as the stairwell
and lower levels flooded.
In the early hours of the morning,
when it was safer to exit the building,
he and his wife went to a motel.
“It’s like a nightmare,” Recarte said.
President Joe Biden even visited
East Elmhurst after approving disaster
relief funds to New York City. He say
it was time for “bold action” to combat
climate change, which has made
extreme weather more frequent and
ferocious.
There are still many Queens residents
who are waiting to receive federal
and state assistance in order to make
needed repairs.
Maspeth High School
personnel accused of
grade fraud, inappropriate
behavior toward students
Th e DOE removed the Maspeth High
School’s principal due to grade fraud allegations,
then a report found other misconduct
in the school.
Th e school’s former principal, Khurshid
Abdul-Mutakabbir, reportedly intimidated
teachers into passing students despite
their failing eff orts as well as treating
certain school staff unfairly, according
to an extensive report by the Special
Commissioner of Investigation (SCI). Th e
allegations date back as far as 2015.
Th e misconduct at the school was a matter
of public discussion, according to the
report, and was even the subject of news stories
before any investigations were started.
Other faculty were accused of misconduct
as well. Head Dean Daniel
Sepulveda, who was also the wrestling
coach, was accused of picking up and
slamming a student who wasn’t on the
team; becoming “friends” with a female
student; smoking marijuana in his apartment;
among other allegations.
Councilman Holden criticized the DOE
and mayor for dragging their feet, while
several others involved in the scandal are
still working at the school.
“Th ere was no sense of urgency,” Holden
said, then added he looked forward to
working with the school’s new principal,
Selin Alicanoglu.
Photo courtesy of Lois Christie
Christie and Co. Salon, located at 2364 Bell Blvd., was fl ooded with stormwater following remnants
of Hurricane Ida.
Photo by Julia Moro
A resident looks at the damage in his apartment caused by remnants of Tropical Storm Ida.
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