12 times • MARCH 24, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.QNS.com editorial 22 THE COURIER SUN • MARCH 24, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM Font: Engravers Old English Normal VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ, CHERYL GALLAGHER KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA RAISA CAMARGO KATARINA HYBENOVA CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI JACLYN HERTLING DEBORAH CUSICK WARREN SUSSMAN CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ESTABLISHED 1908 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS ART DIRECTOR JOSHUA SCHNEPS......................ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Co-Publishers ARTISTS ROBERT POZARYCKI..................STAFF REPORTERS Editor-in-Chief NIRMAL SINGH.............................Font: Engravers WEB EDITOR Old Production English Normal Manager CHERYL GALLAGHER CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS EVENTS COORDINATOR ...............Art Director DEBORAH ASSISTANT CUSICK......................TO PUBLISHER Classified Manager SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MARLENE RUIZ.............................CLASSIFIED MANAGER Assistant Classified Manager CONTROLLER ANTHONY GIUDICE.....................Reporter PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: [email protected] for advertising e-mail: [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2016 by The Courier Sun All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. 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SNAPS QUEENS FOUNTAIN OF THE PLANETS/ PHOTO BY EMMANUEL LOZADA Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing [email protected] (subject: Queens Snaps). Presidential primary disenfranchises New Yorkers March 25 is the deadline for individuals to register to vote and be eligible to participate in the April presidential primary. We encourage anyone who hasn’t already done so to register to vote now. The presidential contest has again ignited passion in voters and a desire to be active in the process. Unfortunately, New York’s archaic voting laws will disenfranchise thousands of registered voters in all three of the state’s primaries. If you’re already a registered Democrat or Republican, you can vote in your party’s primary. If you aren’t registered to vote, you can sign up now as either a Democrat or Republican, if you so choose, and take part in your party’s primary. But if you’re a registered voter belonging to a third-party or no party but want to take part in the primary, or if you’re a registered Democrat or Republican who wants to vote in the other party’s primary, you can’t. Under current state law, registered voters can’t change your affi liation this late in the game. Party changes must have happened last October in order to be eligible for this year’s primaries. Other states allow independent voters to participate in one party’s primary and/or allow registered party members to cast their votes in another party’s contest. But New York is slow to change its election format; after all, the Empire State was one of the last in the nation to give up the old lever machines in favor of electronic voting. New York also hasn’t adopted early voting, sameday registration or instant runoffs, each of which has the potential to boost voter participation in a state where voter turnout is usually abysmal every year. We encourage our readers who are eligible to vote in the primaries and general election to do so, but we also urge them to call on their local elected offi cials to encourage much-needed voting reforms. New York likes to call itself one of the most progressive states in the country; it should lead by example and give people greater access and incentive to vote. back this Easter and Passover Passover is still a month away, but Christians across Queens will celebrate Easter this Sunday. Easter and Passover represent deliverance from evil for its followers: for Christians, Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection mark liberation from sin; for Jews, Passover marks liberation from the evils of slavery at the hands of oppressors. In our world, we fi nd people still struggling for redemption and deliverance, from the myriad refugees escaping the war-torn Middle East to the millions here at home grappling with abject poverty. Charity is not confi ned to the end of the calendar year; we hope that everyone celebrating Easter and Passover this year remembers those suffering from various struggles and pauses to contribute to worthy organizations street talk BY ALAN.BURTON Who are you rooting for in the NCAA tournament? helping those looking to rebuild their lives. We wish all of you and your families a Happy Easter and an early Joyous Passover. “Oklahoma. Buddy H. is the best scorer to come out in a long time.” Skyler Baker “Wisconsin. I liked them since last year because of Frank Kamensky. He’s not playing anymore, but they’re still cool.” Ramesh Seepersaud “Texas Longhorns. Because the other day they came back by 12 points in 30 seconds.” Muhammed Khalid “I thought Michigan State would win. I was supposed to go there, so I kind of have a bias. I was mad because my bracket got messed up when they lost.” Abhi Joshi “It’s hard to say right now … because everybody’s so tense. But it’s good because it keeps everybody on their toes. I’d like Duke to win though.” Sharianna Davis “I’m going with Kentucky. My br acket got all messed up when Michigan State lost.” Krystian Halon “I’m going with Maryland, because I’m from Maryland. There’s been a lot of upsets this year. Michigan lost. Kentucky lost to Indiana. As a matter fact, Indiana is defi nitely making fi nal four.” Blake Buress COPYRIGHT 2015 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. 62-70 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 General Publication Office: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-224-5441 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB SITE: www.timesnewsweekly.com ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 107 YEARS COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us via our Instagram@ridgewoodtimes, Facebook page, tweeting @ridgewoodtimes or by emailing [email protected] (subject Queens Snaps). Giving back this Easter and Passover NCAA tournament? Preparing for a summer of train pain The MTA’s plan to overhaul the M line between Bushwick and Middle Village next summer will completely close it for two months, and it can’t be avoided. While Bushwick will still have use of the J/Z and L trains, the loss of M train service would render much of Glendale, Middle Village and Ridgewood as a transportation desert. There’s going to be great commuting pain, and everyone — including the MTA — needs to deal with it properly. We understand that the two key components of the project — a rail bridge in Middle Village and a viaduct in Bushwick — are seriously damaged from years of use and must be rebuilt. We understand that bringing the M line up to a state of good repair is essential, given that the M line will be used even more frequently once the MTA closes the L train in a couple of years for major repairs. We understand that the situation is such that the M line repairs can’t be made with train service even partially in operation. But the MTA must understand that the affected commuters are going to be forced to use a bus system that is notoriously slow, overwhelmed with passengers and at the mercy of congested roadways such as Metropolitan Avenue, Myrtle Avenue and Fresh Pond Road. The MTA’s contingency plan relies heavily on shuttle buses, something it has done during weekend closures of the M line — and as anyone who’s ridden a shuttle bus can tell you, it’s anything but speedy and hardly makes much of a difference. Before the summer of train pain arrives, the MTA needs to think outside the box with its contingency plan. We believe the MTA should create a special rush hour express bus to midtown Manhattan stopping at the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues, Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue stations. Realizing that the MTA express bus fare is more than double the standard fare, the MTA should consider charging the standard $2.75 fare on this special express bus as well as the QM24 and QM25 lines, which serve Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village. The MTA must also significantly increase service on the Q54 bus line along Metropolitan Avenue and the Q55 bus line on Myrtle Avenue for the duration of the M train project. It should also institute limited bus service on the Q54 to further speed things up and help commuters get around more quickly. If commuters need to live with the reality of losing a major train line for several months, then the MTA needs to live with the reality that it must use its best resources to accommodate its customers. Doing the minimal isn’t enough; the MTA must go above and beyond to serve inconvenienced riders. BY ALAN BURTON
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