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QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 23, 2019
New study sheds light on Qns. airplane noise
BY MARK HALLUM
As noise from LaGuardia
and JFK Airports continues
bombard homes, a new
study from Localize Labs
completed a countdown of
the 20 neighborhoods most
effected in the city with 16
of those communities being
in Queens.
The constant disruptions
on the ground from
approach and departure
vectors introduced by FAA
in 2012 caused an uprising
of residents on the ground
who have been advocating
for relieve for years.
Last Year, a study from
Columbia University
showed that the anxiety
and depression likely
caused by airplane noise
could be taking a year of
life of residents.
Now, Localize Labs is
claiming that it could be
effecting home listings
as well.
Brookville, Howard
Beach and Flushing
had 96 percent, 88 percent
and 66 percent of homes
respectively listed in
noise burdened zones.
This depicts a pattern
of people leaving for
greener pastures.
Janet McEneaney, a
founder of Queens Quiet
Skies, said she moved to
Bayside 25 years ago to
get away from the din of
the city.
“We can’t sleep. Our kids
can’t study,” McEneaney
said. “If you’ve ever had
a really bad earache or
toothache, that’s what
it feels like. While it’s
happening, you can’t think
about anything else and you
just want it to go away.”
McEneaney claims she
gets letters from other
residents who say they are
settling elsewhere for a
little peace and quiet.
State Senator Joseph
Addabbo said the issue is
the encouraged him to act
on it through legislation
in Albany, having
introduced a bill on Friday
that will enforce further
studies into the effects of
airplane noise.
“Communities in
areas around JFK and
LaGuardia airports have
experienced a declining
quality of life as a result of
noise pollution and possibly
other ill effects from air
traffic patterns,” Addabbo
said. “Noise complaints
in affected neighborhoods
have skyrocketed due to
changing air traffic patterns
and too many planes flying
on low approaches to these
airports. Through this
study, we hope to develop
a comprehensive plan
to address these issues
so the neighborhoods
can experience a better
quality of life now and in
the future.”
According to
Addabbo, the bill will
ask the Department of
Environment Conservation
to monitor noise levels
throughout 2020 and 2021.
Leaders within
the Federal Aviation
Administration gave
members of the LGA Airport
Committee a vindicating
dose of confirmation when
they informed resident lead
roundtable that the TNNIS
climb out of LaGuardia
Airport had been
over utilized.
The FAA told residents
that the departure route
will now only be used
when airspace between
LaGuardia and JFK
is full and for other
safety reasons.
Photo: Nuno Lopez via Flickr Creative Commons
YouTube personality wins Citi Field hot dog contest
BY MAX PARROTT
A British Youtube
personality known as
BeardMeatsFood arrived in
Queens this weekend on his
quest to take the American
hot dog-eating throne.
BearsMeatsFood, aka
Adam Moran of Leeds,
U.K., won the New York
qualifying round of
Nathan’s Famous annual
Hot Dog-Eating Contest at
Citi Field on June 16 after
eating 32 hot dogs and
buns. Julie Goldberg, of
Brooklyn, won for the ladies
after eating 9.5 hot dogs
and buns.
Moran launched his
food eating career in 2015
by winning Yorkshire
Pudding Eating Champion,
shoveling down 40 of
the puffy egg pastries
commonly known as
popovers stateside. Now
he has set his sights on
becoming a household
name in America.
As such, he has turned
his attention to hot dogs.
The annual Nathan’s
Famous International Hot
Dog-Eating Contest – the
Super Bowl of Major League
Eating – is one of the most
widely viewed food contests
in the world.
The title, which has
primarily been held down
Americans for its over
100 years of existence,
was taken by a Japanese
eater for a stretch in the
early 2000s when Takeru
Kobayashi won from 2001
to 2006.
Since then, Joey
Chestnut has reigned as
champion of the men’s
competition, with the
exception of 2015 when
Matt Stonie ended his
eight-year winning
streak. Chenut took it
back the following year,
and set a world record
last summer.
Goldberg will compete
against Miki Sudo, who
has held the women’s
hot dog-eating title since
her 2014 victory against
Sonya Thomas.
The young British
upstart may have fared well
against New York’s amateur
eaters, but Moran still has
a long way to go from his
32-dog performance this
weekend if he wants to
be champion. Chestnut’s
world record from last year
was 74 hot dogs.
From left, Julie Goldberg and Adam Moran won the New York qualifying round of Nathan’s Famous annual Hot Dog-Eating
Contest at Citi Field on Sunday Photo by Bruce Adler