TIMES, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015 • 22 Ice Storm Halts Service On The 7 Line nearest station and remove passengers; there were no reported injuries. But the disruption compounded travel problems for thousands of western Queens residents already slowed by several inches of fresh snow topped with a 0.1”-thin layer of ice. At the height of the shutdown, the MTA honored MetroCards on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) at the Flushing, Mets-Willets Point, Woodside and Hunterspoint Avenue stations. Travelers were also directed to use local bus lines and the E, F, M, N, Q or R trains as alternate routes. Free shuttle buses were also dispatched to serve 7 train commuters stranded due to the shutdown. By Monday afternoon, the MTA restored limited shuttle service on the 7 line between Flushing-Main Street and 74th Street-Broadway. The full 7 line was back up and running at about 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, Feb. 3, but with residual delays. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- Boro Budget Hearing Feb. 23 New Library Trustee Leadership Nolan Loses Bid To Become Speaker emerged as Silver’s potential replacements. The other candidates were Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle of Rochester and Assemblymen Keith Wright of Manhattan and Joseph Lentol of Brooklyn. The chamber was originally scheduled to elect its new speaker on Feb. 10. Wright quickly dropped out and endorsed Heastie, while Lentol departed from the race after the Brooklyn Democratic Party supported the Bronx candidate. Morelle bowed out of the race and endorsed Heastie last Friday. That left Heastie and Nolan, but published reports indicated Heastie gathered support from enough Assembly Democrats to propel him to the speakership. The Queens County Democratic Party also endorsed Heastie—a rather surprising development to many observers considering Nolan’s experience as both an Assembly member and as Democratic district leader. Members of the Assembly Democratic Conference further discussed the election—and moving the vote up to Feb. 3—on Monday, hours before Nolan issued her concession statement. Even as published reports indicated Heastie had the race sewn up, Nolan declined to drop out, vowing to see the process through to the end. She explained in her statement Monday that “it is essential that all members of the state legislature examine our rules and look closely at proposals for reform and openness.” “We announced last week that we would have a more open discussion about who would lead our conference and I think, with the challenges we are facing, we need to stick to that decision,” she stated. “Indeed, I would have preferred a vote on Feb. 10 which would have allowed for discussion and review of proposals for reform and perhaps have allowed some new rules to go forward in tandem with the election of a new speaker.” The assemblywoman vowed to continue her role as Assembly Education Committee chair and “to keep meeting with reformminded caucuses, individual members and advocacy groups to be able to recommend various proposals.” Showing no hard feelings over the outcome, Nolan also thanked her fellow members of the Assembly’s Queens Democratic delegation and Rep. Joe Crowley, chair of the Queens County Democratic Party, “for meeting with me to discuss my candidacy as I did with so many colleagues this past week.” “I particularly want to acknowledge those colleagues who gave me support and encouragement and also those who were forthright in telling me that they prefer another candidate,” Nolan said. “Our Assembly Democratic Majority Conference is strong because we are candid with each other.” Speaker Heastie, meanwhile, is an eight-term Assembly member representing the northeast Bronx. He also serves as Bronx County Democratic Party chair and is the first-ever Assembly member from the borough to lead the chamber. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 6- Jamaica Man Admits To Rich. Hill Homicide Homeless Population Reaches All-Time High -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- the nonprofit group Samaritan Village tentatively agreed to permanentize the operation. The new shelters drew anger and concern not only from nearby residents but also homeless activists who claimed the facilities were ill-equipped or unsuitable to handle the population. A New York Daily News report found that many “cluster shelters”—multi-family dwellings housing a large number of homeless families—had serious housing code violations and posed a danger to the residents’ health. Moreover, the city pays landlords of properties used as homeless shelters well above the market rate, in many cases, for their operation. The de Blasio administration also sought to expand the availability—and the amount of—housing subsidies for lowincome families. The mayor also put forth a housing plan to construct up to 200,000 new affordable homes across the city in the years to come. was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June. Acting on those powers, Katz removed six trustees, while Mayor Bill de Blasio ousted two others; the eight members voted against Galante’s departure and for the limited disclosure resolution. Both Katz and de Blasio appointed replacement members since that time; in September, the reconstituted board voted to send Galante on a leave of absence and to provide Stringer with full financial disclosure. The trustees then voted in December to fire Galante. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 8- was reported, an unidentified man allegedly punched the woman in the face, causing Haughton to fall. Seconds later, law enforcement sources noted, Dixon approached and shot Haughton multiple times in the torso and right thigh, then fled the scene. Members of the 102nd Precinct and EMS units responded to the incident. Haughton died shortly after arriving at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Based on an investigation, the 102nd Precinct Detective Squad collared Dixon in March 2011. Senior Assistant District Attorney Debra Lynn Pomodore of the DA’s Homicide Trials Bureau led the prosecution under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Brad A. Leventhal, bureau chief, and Jack Warsawsky, deputy bureau chief. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- 104th Pct. Update: Crime Down To Start 2015 -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- Three commercial burglaries that took place in the confines of the 104th Precinct involve a black male, seen on video footage, removing property and fleeing in a white van. The burglaries occurred at the following locations: 57-45 Rust St. in Maspeth; 55-04 Maspeth Ave. in Maspeth; and 59-04 Decatur St. in Ridgewood. Two residential burglaries that are being looked into took place on Dec. 23 and Dec. 29 between 8:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the area of Maurice Avenue to Grand Avenue, between Rust Street and the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth. The posting alerted members of the community of two car thefts that occurred on January 12 at 63-37 Metropolitan Ave. in Middle Village. Both vehicles were 2002 Ford Econolines with commercial plates. The precinct informed the community of two petit larceny cases that took place on Jan. 13 and 14 where criminals stole employee’s unattended personal property while they were working at 1706 and 1708 Flushing Ave. in Ridgewood. The 104th Precinct also warned gym-goers of multiple reports of gym locker break-ins at Retro Fitness located at 65-45 Otto Rd. in Glendale and the Planet Fitness at 329 Wyckoff Ave. in Ridgewood. For more information follow the 104 Precinct on Twitter @NYPD104PCT. on what the adopted version of the city’s budget should include this year,” she continued. Local organizations and members of the general public are encouraged to testify at the hearing. The Queens Borough Board is made up of the Borough President, the members of the City Council that represent Queens, and the chairs of Queens’ 14 Community Boards. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 13- Boston Drifter Convicted Of Woodside Strangling to buy a bus ticket back to Boston; and various merchandise which he traded for drugs,” Brown said in a statement last Thursday, Jan. 29. “His actions warrant a lengthy prison sentence to punish him and protect society.” During the trial, law enforcement sources said, one of Graves’ friends testified that he met Epps during a visit to Graves’ apartment on Oct. 16. The suspect reportedly introduced himself and claimed he was staying a few nights with the victim. The following day, the friend testified, he called Graves’ apartment repeatedly, but received no answer. Prosecutors said the friend then visited Graves’ apartment on Oct. 19 and, after hearing no response, had the building’s superintendent let him in. Upon entering the location, the friend reportedly found Graves dead inside the bathtub. Officers from the 108th Precinct responded to the location. Through an autopsy that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted, Graves’ death was ruled a homicide via strangulation. An investigation revealed that Epps used credit cards belonging to Graves on Oct. 20, 2011 to make multiple purchases at stores in Boston. A prostitute who reportedly accompanied him testified that Epps later traded the goods with a drug dealer in exchange for crack cocaine which they consumed. NYPD detectives tracked Epps down in December 2011 for the murder, and he was subsequently returned to Queens for prosecution. Senior Assistant District Attorney Alix F. Kucker, supervisor of the DA’s Extraditions Unit, and paralegal Anna Lucatorto handled Epps’ extradition. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Shawn Clark of the DA’s Homicide Trials Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Brad A. Leventhal, bureau chief, and Jack Warsawsky, deputy bureau chief. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 13-
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