COPYRIGHT 2013 RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING CO., INC. Glendale Shelter Meet Is This Evening In M.V. This public hearing will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the auditorium of Christ the King High School, which is located at 68-02 Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village. Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano asks that anyone who plans to attend the hearing take public transportation, since parking in the BEN CARSON News & Opinion school parking lot is very limited, especially with other activities being conducted. In notifying Board 5 of their proposal, Tino Hernandez, president of Samaritan Village, wrote that under their proposal they would provide an array of on-site services and off-site service linkages to children, even with intrauterine surgery, it is probably not difficult to imagine why I am extremely oriented toward efforts to preserve human life, especially innocent human life that has yet to experience the extrauterine world. Given this pro-life propensity, one might ask how I could endorse someone who is pro-choice. The answer is this: I’m not an ideologue who determines a person’s worthiness with a litmus test. I have known Wehby as a friend and colleague for many years, and she is extremely intelligent and knows how to make decisions based on evidence versus ideology. Also, in a state like Oregon, which is left-leaning, she would not be a viable candidate if she maintained a pro-life stance. If conservatives are going to win in 2014 and 2016 and preserve the environment of freedom to which we have grown accustomed, it will be necessary to learn how to prioritize issues. I am not saying that social issues are not important, but if the TIMES, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014 • 4 Since 1908 Published Every Thursday By RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. General Publication Office: P.O. 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Classified Manager TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association Reaching The Queens Homes Of Ridgewood, Glendale, Liberty Park, Maspeth, Middle Village, So. Elmhurst, Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Long Island City, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Elmhurst, And Kew Gardens. Reaching The Brooklyn Homes Of Ridgewood, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East Williamsburg And Williamsburg. 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. Charting A Course Between Principle And Pragmatism I recently was asked how I could possibly endorse the U.S. Senate candidacy of Dr. Monica Wehby, who is running as a Republican from Oregon. She is pro-choice, which in the opinion of many makes her unacceptable as a conservative. I called her to query her about her stance on this issue. She stated that personally, she is very pro-life, but she feels the government has no business interfering with the relationship between the mother, the baby, the doctor and God. I feel differently, because if abolitionists had taken a similar hands-off approach, I might not have been free to write this column. As someone who has spent a lifetime trying to save the lives of -SEE CARSON ON PG. 30- EDITORIAL By all accounts, the World’s Fair Anniversary Festival at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on Sunday, May 18, was a huge hit with Queens residents. More than 100,000 came to celebrate not only the anniversary of two gala expositions of a bygone era, but also enjoy just a hint of the magic both fairs provided to generations of New Yorkers. In a way, however, one could not help but feel a twinge of sadness walking around the park, thinking about what might have been, what it once was and what it is today. One of the main symbols of the 1964 fair—the New York State Pavilion—towered over the festivities, rusting away after decades of neglect, awaiting a savior to come along and provide money toward its restoration. There was also the condition of Flushing Meadows itself; some of the grass fields had no grass at all. Many spots—eroded from overuse by soccer players—were covered with bare dirt, rocks, gravel and even shards of broken glass bottles. Few public bathrooms were available, so most visitors were forced to rely upon portable commodes brought in for the festival. The 1939-40 World’s Fair was originally a scheme hatched by master builder Robert Moses, in part, to transform a former ash heap into a grand greenspace rivaling Central Park. Economically speaking, the fair proved modestly successful, but Moses didn’t get the funds needed to fully carry out his vision. Moreover, the U.S. was soon thrust into World War II, and the city threw everything it had—including the Trylon and Perisphere, the fair’s symbols recycled for the war effort— toward achieving victory. The 1964 fair—beloved as it was by Baby Boomers—didn’t make a profit. Today’s Flushing Meadows Park grew in the fair’s shadow, but the city underachieved in turning this nearly 900- acre oasis into the crown jewel of Queens parks, if not the city’s park system. Over the last five decades, segments of the park were either eaten up by developers; selectively reused for other purposes; eroded from overuse and lack of maintenance; or neglected altogether. At one point, there was even an effort to develop a grand prix auto racetrack that, thankfully, never came to pass. Rather than selling off another piece to the New York Mets or the United States Tennis Association—or backing some other corporate scheme to take parkland from the people—let’s improve what is there for all the people that visit it year in and year out. Let’s build durable athletic fields, put in more trees and public facilities and reopen the park’s many fountains. Let’s restore, as Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is advocating, the New York State Pavilion, an effort estimated to cost tens of millions. It should be a year-round attraction; it’s observation deck would surely provide a glorious view of the cityscape, and the Tent of Tomorrow could serve as a venue of the many cultural events that reflect the greatness of Queens. Queens residents love Flushing Meadows-Corona Park; thousands go there every weekend to play, relax and enjoy nature. The city has taken millions from taxpayers over the years to half-heartedly maintain Flushing Meadows. Now it’s time for the city to go all out and make it the grand park Queens truly deserves. Community Board 5 will conduct a public hearing in Middle Village tonight, Thursday, May 22, regarding the proposal by Samaritan Village to the NYC Department of Homeless Services, to provide transitional housing services for 125 families at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale. Letters To The Editor Free Summer Meals Available To Kids Dear Editor: With summer approaching, children who rely on school lunches as a source of nutrition may think that they will no longer have access to free healthy meals. Low-income families say that they must generate approximately $300 more per month when their children are out of school. However, fewer families may have to stretch their tight budgets if more of them become aware of the free summer meals offered by the USDA. Statistics suggest that many families are currently unaware of these programs. While 21 million children rely on free and reducedpriced school lunches during the school year, only three million are getting free summer meals. Over time, this lack of awareness can become detrimental, particularly for low-income families. Obesity and diabetes tend to become more prevalent as you go down the socioeconomic scale because energy dense foods are often the cheapest when measured in cost per calorie. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the energy cost of different foods and found that one dollar could buy 1,200 calories of chips or cookies, and only 250 calories of -SEE LETTERS ON PG. 28- -SEE SHELTER ON PG. 28- News From The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association How Parks Dept. Can Avoid Barking Up The Wrong Tree by Alexander Blenkinsopp Sometimes our city’s government can have a very worthy policy goal, but goes about it the wrong way. That is the case with street trees. There is no question that I strongly support the planting of new trees in Woodhaven and across New York City. Last year, this newspaper published a column of mine titled “Keeping Woodhaven Wooded.” In that column, I argued, “It is time for fallen trees across Woodhaven to be replaced, and for remaining trees to be looked after better than they have been.” Every time a tree comes down without being replaced, our neighborhood becomes a slightly less pleasant place to be. That said, the Parks Department—which is responsible for street trees—should make some changes to its tree-planting approach Over the past couple of weeks, the Parks Department planted a large number of trees across Woodhaven. I enthusiastically welcome this news. But in a number of places, they cut open and removed sidewalk to create new tree pits, sometimes without providing advance notice to the owners of the property responsible for maintaining that sidewalk. In at least one case, Parks Department personnel got into a shouting match with a business owner who did not want a tree and resented how the personnel began to rip up his sidewalk without so much as a courtesy notice. I have several suggestions for how the Parks Department should consider changing its tree-planting policies and practices. First, plant trees in existing tree pits, and remove tree stumps for replacement, before cutting any new holes in sidewalks. There is simply no need to create new spots for trees -SEE WRBA ON PG. 54-
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