PRE-K PUSH CONTINUES At R’wood Event, Mayor Touts CBO Pgms. programs to find the right fit,” de Blasio said. “What we want every parent to know is that come September, there will be more options than ever for high-quality, full-day pre-K across the five boroughs. Whether your child is accepted to a public school program this week or not, there are more options—both at community facilities and at other public schools—to find the right fit.” by Robert Pozarycki Returning to the school where he officially launched the city’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) expansion in April, Mayor Bill de Blasio came to Ridgewood’s P.S. 239 on Tuesday, June 3, to announce online registration for UPK programs at community-based organizations (CBO). Following a roundtable discussion with educators and parents, de Blasio told members of the press the city would begin notifying parents today, Thursday, June 5, who submitted applications for UPK seats in public schools whether or not their children were accepted. “If you’ve ever had a child attend our public schools, then you know well the stress of navigating all the -SEE MAYOR ON PG. 28- Mobster Gets Life For Woodhaven Homicides After 33 Yrs., Justice Is Served Here’s A Glimpse Of What’s In This Week’s Times Newsweekly... LOCAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS RIDGEWOOD: Teacher Busted For Trysts With Teens.............Pg. 1 ELMHURST: COMET Eyes Community Driveway Disputes......Pg. 1 LONG ISLAND CITY: Pols, Students Act For Street Safety.......Pg. 1 MASPETH: Summer Block Parties Are Back!.................Photo, Pg. 1 RIDGEWOOD: Mayor de Blasio Continues Pre-K Push.............Pg. 3 WOODHAVEN: Mobster Gets Life For 1981 Double Murder.....Pg. 3 JACKSON HEIGHTS: Plenty Of Pride On Parade..........Photos, Pg. 3 MIDDLE VILLAGE: Next Board 5 Meeting June 11....................Pg. 4 HOWARD BEACH: Muggers Push Senior To Ground...............Pg. 6 LONG ISLAND CITY: ManWanted For Bank Heist........Photo, Pg. 6 RIDGEWOOD: Chancellor Hears Overcrowding Appeal............Pg. 8 RIDGEWOOD: Bushwick Man Guilty Of Shock Attack............Pg. 8 KEW GARDENS: Hundreds Seek Work At Job Fair....Photos, Pg. 8 REGO PARK: Unsuccessful Burglars Strike Stores...............Pg. 10 SUNNYSIDE: 108th Precinct Cop Of The Month..........Photo, Pg. 10 WOODHAVEN: Civic Group Starts Membership Drive............Pg. 12 RIDGEWOOD: Alleged Burglar Gave Laptop Back.................Pg. 12 RIDGEWOOD: Club Learns About GMO Risks..............Photo, Pg. 12 KEWGARDENS: DAWelcomes Summer Interns.........Photo, Pg. 13 RIDGEWOOD: Man Tells FOCAOf Street Success.................Pg. 14 FRESH MEADOWS: Alleged ‘Gatsby Bandit’Cuffed..............Pg. 14 LONG ISLAND CITY: Pol Honors HS Graduates..........Photo, Pg. 14 WOODSIDE: Cub Scouts Earn Healthy Patch..................Photo, Pg. 19 RIDGEWOOD: Convicted Pimp Joins Brother In Jail.................Pg. 20 FRESH MEADOWS: Man Pays For Sending Lewd Images........Pg. 20 RIDGEWOOD: P.S. 88 Gets Lesson From HPD................Photo, Pg. 20 BUSHWICK: Lively Art & Music At ‘Open Studios’.....................Pg. 21 GLENDALE: Redeemer Lutheran HoldsWalkathon........Photo, Pg. 21 MIDDLE VILLAGE: Getting Ready For ‘Relay For Life’...............Pg. 24 ROCKAWAYS: Hoping Ramones Song Brings In Tourists.........Pg. 24 MASPETH: Grand Times Had At Street Festival..............Photo, Pg. 24 GLENDALE: Students Honored At Science Fair..............Photo, Pg. 24 FOREST HILLS: Activist Feted By Preservation Group.............Pg. 25 WOODSIDE: Scouts Visit Local Firehouse.......................Photo, Pg. 25 FOREST HILLS: 112th Pct. Holds Graffiti Cleanup..........Photo, Pg. 25 GLENDALE: Remembering Veterans At Monument.......Photo, Pg. 27 QUEENS & BROOKLYN BOROUGH-WIDE NEWS Vision Zero Legislation Package Passes City Council.................Pg. 6 Report: Former Brooklyn DAMay Have Broken Law.................Pg. 10 FirmChosen To Build New Kosciuszko Bridge...........................Pg. 11 Mayor, Pols Sound Alarms Over 911 System Review.................Pg. 12 Comptroller: City’s Economy Is Growing Stronger....................Pg. 19 Senator Touts New Federal Bill On Tougher Background Checks For Child ServiceWorkers........................................................Pg. 19 COLUMNS & LISTINGS Ben Carson.......................Pg. 4 Letters To The Editor.......Pg. 4 104th Precinct Blotter....Pg. 11 Transit & Traffic News...Pg. 20 It’s In Queens!................Pg. 22 Community Calendar....Pg. 22 Crossword & Sudoku....Pg. 22 TV Listings.....................Pg. 23 Social Security News.....Pg. 27 Sports.............................Pg. 61 SUBSCRIBE TO THE TIMES NEWSWEEKLY! SEE PAGE 29 Missed Last Week’s Issue? Read It Online At www. timesnewsweekly .com 3 • TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014 by Robert Pozarycki Previously convicted of participating in a 1981 double homicide at a now-defunct Woodhaven bar, a former crime family captain was ordered last Tuesday, May 27, to spend the rest of his life in a federal prison, prosecutors announced. Bartolomeo (a.k.a. Bobby Glasses) Vernace, 65—a member of the Gambino crime family who previously operated out of a Glendale café—was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Sandra L. Townes to serve life without parole. He was convicted in April 2013 of participating in a racketeering conspiracy that included the April 1981 murder of two men at the former Shamrock Bar on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven. Richard Godkin and John D’Agnese—who co-owned the Shamrock Bar and ran the area’s Boys and Girls Club—were gunned down by Vernace and an unidentified accomplice shortly after the victims got into a dispute with a reputed Gambino member over a spilled drink. Seventeen years later, the Queens District Attorney’s office brought charges against Vernace for his role in the double homicide, but he was acquitted at trial in 2002. Federal agents cuffed the mobster in January 2011 in a national organized crime -SEE MOBSTER ON PG. 28- Trumpeting Pride At Jackson Heights Parade Music filled the air during the Queens Pride Parade through Jackson Heights on Sunday afternoon, June 1. Organized by the Queens Pride Committee, the march and accompanying festival celebrated the lives and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBT) people across the borough. Mayor Bill de Blasio (right photo) was among those who participated, and City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer served as the march’s grand marshal. The Times Newsweekly was among the parade’s co-sponsors. (photos: Chris Bishop)
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