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TIMES, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 • 10 FASTER BUSES ON BOULEVARD Select Service Due To Arrive Next Year by Noah Zuss The Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled three Select Bus Service (SBS) design concepts for Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards last Wednesday, Nov. 5, but a transit union official believes the system will not significantly reduce congestion on the north to south corridor. The DOT claims that riders using routes on the 14.4 mile Woodhaven/Cross Bay corridor will greatly benefit from SBS, but in a statement John Lyons, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1179 came to a different conclusion: That the “plan resembles the proverbial square peg into a round hole.” Following the completion of a Congested Corridor Study by the DOT, SBS was recommended as a long-term solution to reduce congestion and speed commutes on the boulevards. The corridor currently has 10 bus routes with 30,000 daily riders, according to the DOT. The DOT believes drivers and bus riders using the corridor will benefit from SBS features that include: Off-board fare collection, transit signal priority and dedicated bus lanes. The first DOT design would install an offset bus lane one lane from the curb, a standard SBS plan. In the second proposal, dedicated bus lanes would be installed. A third design would put dedicated bus lanes in the middle of the road, with bus stops at the right of the bus. In a letter, Lyons stated that he believes improving local, regular bus service is needed more than investing in SBS, which will not result in a significant time savings, he claimed. Lyons argued that installing SBS on the congested corridor will actually harm local service and stated that a “review of bus service on the corridor indicates -SEE BRT ON PG. 53- Thumbs Down For R’wood Rezone Glendale Kiwanis Hosts Pols At Lunch The Glendale Kiwanis Club hosted Legislative Day at its meeting held at Zum Stammtisch Restaurant on Myrtle Avenue Thursday, Oct. 30. At the meeting local elected officials from the area came and discussed legislative updates and current issues in the neighborhood. Pictured (from left to right): Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan; Glendale Kiwanis President Ken Voisin; City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley; Rep. Grace Meng; Assemblyman Mike Miller; and Rich Huber of the Glendale Kiwanis. Local Prosecutor Gets Fed AG Nod Lynch To Succeed Holder In D.C. by Robert Pozarycki Elected officials across New York City and State applauded the nomination of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch as the nation’s next attorney general. During a White House press its both profoundly challenging. conference last Saturday, Nov. 8, Today, I stand before you so President Barack Obama thrilled, and frankly so humbled, officially announced Lynch as his to have the opportunity to lead choice to succeed another New this group of wonderful people Yorker, Eric Holder, as the who work all day and well into highest-ranking law enforcement the night to make that ideal a official in the country. manifest reality, all as part of Lynch is currently in her their steadfast protection of the second stint leading the Justice citizens of this country.” Department’s Eastern District of A graduate of Harvard Law New York, which covers School, Lynch joined the Eastern Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island District of New York in 1990 and Nassau and Suffolk counties. after spending nine years in the She previously served in the same private sector. She rose through post under President Bill Clinton the ranks in the office and between 1999 and 2001 and prosecuted a number of highprofile returned to the job in May 2010 cases, including the 1997 after being re-nominated by Obama. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Lynch would become the first black female to serve as attorney general in American history. “It’s pretty hard to be more qualified for this job than Loretta,” the president said last Saturday. “Throughout her 30- year career, she has distinguished herself as tough, as fair, as an independent lawyer who has twice headed one of the most prominent U.S. Attorney’s offices in the country. She has spent her years in the trenches as a prosecutor, aggressively fighting terrorism, financial fraud, cybercrime, all while vigorously defending civil rights.” “The Department of Justice is the only Cabinet department named for an ideal. And this is actually appropriate, because our work is both aspirational and grounded in gritty reality,” Lynch added. “It’s both ennobling and civil rights trial of New York City police officers accused of sexually assaulting Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant in their custody. Following her first term as the office’s leader, Lynch rejoined the private sector, becoming a partner at Hogan and Hartson LLP in Manhattan, focusing on commercial litigation, financial crimes and corporate compliance. News about Lynch’s nomination to attorney general broke hours before the president made his official announcement, prompting early statements of support from, among others, Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The nation is about to meet Loretta Lynch for the first time— but in the five boroughs, she is already known for her character, toughness and uncompromising sense of justice,” de Blasio stated last Friday, Nov. 7. “She has never been afraid to hold those in power accountable under the law, -SEE LYNCH ON PG. 28- Katz Wants Lot Preserved For Industrial Use by Robert Pozarycki Believing the space would be best reserved for business, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz rejected last Tuesday, Nov. 5, a developer’s plan to build a three-story apartment house on an manufacturing-zoned lot near the Brooklyn/Queens border in Ridgewood. Katz recommended denial of a Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) variance that the 1101 Irving Ave. LLC requests in order to build the six-unit dwelling— including a penthouse apartment—at the site with dual addresses of 1101 Irving Ave. and 1504 Decatur St., near the Brooklyn/Queens border. Representative of the holding company appeared at a May meeting of Community Board 5 and stated the structure would replace a previously-demolished restaurant and two-family dwelling that stood on the 25’ by 90’ lot for many years. The site, however, is not only zoned for manufacturing purposes, but also located within the South of Myrtle Avenue (SOMA) Industrial Business U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch addresses reporters at the White House last Saturday, Nov. 8, after President Barack Obama formally nominated her to become the next attorney general. The president and outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder are pictured looking on. (White House photo, Pete Souza) -SEE VARIANCE ON PG. 52-


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