8 JANUARY 5, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM 2016 Year in Review AUGUST Commissioner Bratton calls it quits In August, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that he would be retiring in September, and then-Chief of the Department James O’Neill would be taking his place. Bratton served two stints as Police Commissioner — once under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the mid-1990s, and again under current Mayor Bill de Blasio. O’Neill, a native of Flatbush, Brooklyn, committed himself to continue strengthening the relationship between the police force and the people of New York City. City eyes homeless shelter in Maspeth Early arly August August saw saw the the contentious conten start of what would quickly become known as the Maspeth Shelter War. Residents and several civic organizations banded together to fi ght Mayor Bill de Blasio’s attempt at turning a Holiday Inn Express into a homeless shelter after a closed-door meeting between city offi cials and community leaders. In the coming weeks and months, rallies were organized outside of the hotel and even the homes of the city’s Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Steven Banks and the owner of the Holiday Inn, Harshad Patel. The unsolved murder of Karina Vetrano Howard Beach mourned the loss of 30-year-old Karina Vetrano who was savagely raped and strangled during a nighttime jog in Spring Creek Park on Aug. 2. What is even more disturbing about the case is that cops didn’t know — and still do not know — who committed the heinous crime. In the months following her murder, Vetrano’s family off ered large sums of money as a reward to anyone who would come forward with information on their daughter’s death, but still no solid leads came. Residents of Howard Beach remained on edge, fearing for their safety. The investigation into her murder remains ongoing. Silver Barn Farms sold & renamed For decades, Middle Villagers have shopped at Silver Barn Farms to get fresh produce, deli meat, bagels and much more. Things changed in August when the store was sold to Bill Fani, who also owns a Met Food supermarket nearby on Eliot Avenue. Silver Barn was rechristened as “Village Barn,” and the new management made a commitment to transforming the look and stock to cater to shoppers seeking organic and farm-fresh products.
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