2 TIMES • AUGUST 25, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Ridgewood residents, business want holiday lights on Fresh Pond Rd. Some Ridgewood residents want to see holiday lights back on Fresh Pond Road this holiday season. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport Fresh Pond Road may be a little more festive this coming holiday season thanks to a Ridgewood resident. Come November and December, many commercial strips throughout the neighborhoods will be adorned with holiday lighting, creating a more inviting and cheerful atmosphere for residents, visitors and shoppers. Anne Marie Kostner, a resident of Ridgewood, wants to bring the same jovial feeling to Fresh Pond Road. “They will bring people into the neighborhood to buy their gifts,” Kostner said of the holiday lights. “There is no festivity on Fresh Pond Road at all anymore. When you have Christmas lights all will benefi t.” Kostner has partnered up with Ridgewood Offi ce Products Center to try and bring holiday lighting back to Fresh Pond Road. Photo via Facebook/Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District “She offered to volunteer her time and effort,” said Craig Addeo, vice president of Ridgewood Offi ce Products Center. “In the past we had holiday lights on Fresh Pond Road for many years, but we haven’t had them in last few years due to a lack of participation and the amount of work that goes into organizing it. Anne Marie is going to be the community representative for the Fresh Pond Road Holiday Light Committee.” The group is looking to have the lights installed on Fresh Pond Road between Myrtle and Metropolitan avenues, with the possibility of extending the boundaries if there is enough interest further down Fresh Pond. The price for companies to participate in getting the holiday lighting is approximately $200, which will go toward hiring a lighting company to come and install the lights, which Kostner hopes to have up before Thanksgiving. Some of the stores and organizations that have already agreed to participate include Ridgewood Offi ce Products Center, Valentino Food Market, Gemelli Jewelers, Crifasi Real Estate, Rosa’s Pizzeria, Corato I Pizza, Paradise Pets, Price Choice supermarket and the Farmers Oval Civic Association. Many others are in the process of making their donations, Addeo said. “We want to create the holiday spirit on Fresh Pond Road,” he added. “We want the community to know we appreciate their business and we are a good, strong community. We want the public to know that our area is just as customer oriented and appreciative as all the other shopping areas.” Kostner is looking to collect the money in September in order to get the lights ready to be installed in November, just in time for the holiday season. And if this year has a good enough turnout, holiday lights on Fresh Pond Road could again become an annual thing. For more information on how to participate, contact Kostner at 718-386- 1657 or Addeo at c.addeoropc@aol. com. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport The Christ the King family lost one of its own last week. The Middle Village high school announced the death of Michael Vaccaro, a former teacher and the dean of discipline, who died in his Maspeth home on Thursday, Aug. 18, at the age of 85. Vaccaro joined the staff at Christ the King as a social studies teacher back in 1974. He was inducted into the CK Hall of Fame in 2000 and retired from teaching in 2002. Vaccaro was born on May 16, 1931, in Brooklyn and loved education, both as a student and a teacher. He rec eived a BA in history and an MA in education from St. John’s University. He then continued his studies at The New School for Social Research, Fordham University graduate school and The China Institute. Vaccaro taught at both Holy Trinity and Bishop Reilly until their closings, before joining the Christ the King staff. “Mr. Vaccaro was dedicated to his career and a leading example of what every teacher should be,” said Serphin Maltese, chairman of the board of t rustees of Christ the King. “He will be missed by colleagues and students alike.” Vaccaro was a great educator who loved his job and his students. He was recognized for his exemplary work with several awards throughout his career. In 1998 he received the Marianist Lifetime Achievement award and in 1999 he was given the Diocesan Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to Catholic education. “Mr. Vaccaro was admired and loved by faculty and students alike,” said Peter Mannarino, principal at Christ the King. “As a teacher, educator and friend, Mr. Vaccaro will be greatly missed.” Vaccaro was also a veteran, serving his country in Korea and Japan before beginning his career in education. His interests included extensive travel throughout Europe, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. A funeral mass was held on the morning of Monday, Aug. 22, at Our Lady of Hope Church in Middle Village, and a cremation ceremony was held at the Fresh Pond Crematory. Vaccaro’s ashes will be buried with his partner Jim Tierney in Ireland, County Clare. Police search for three suspects in an early morning shooting in Bushwick last week BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport Three individuals are being sought by cops for their involvement in a shooting that occurred in Bushwick last week. Cops are on the lookout for two male suspects and one female suspect wanted for assaulting in man in front of an apartment house on Starr Street near Knickerbocker Avenue at 12:05 a.m. on Aug. 19. According to police, the two male suspects approached their 26-year-old male victim and pulled out fi rearms. Both suspects proceeded to fi re three shots each into the victim, striking him three times in the leg, twice in the chest and once in the pelvis. After the incident, the female suspect was observed picking up the shell casings that were dispersed throughout the crime scene, police said. According to cops, it is currently unknown if the suspects were known to the victim before the assault. The victim was transported by private means to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center for treatment for injuries not considered life-threating. The shooting was later reported to the 83rd Precinct. Police urge anyone with information in regards to this incident to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging on to www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confi dential. M.V. School remembers former teacher
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