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17 • TIMES, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 Civic Rallies For A Rock. Line Revival Want ‘Crosstown’ Train Over QueensWay by Noah Zuss The Queens Public Transit Committee held a rally on the Elmhurst/Rego Park border last Sunday, Nov. 16. to support the reactivation of the defunct Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Rockaway Beach Line (RBL) branch and to raise awareness around transportation issues in the borough. The rally near Woodhaven and Queens boulevards was held for two other reasons, according to Queens Public Transit Committee founder Phil McManus: To organize and recruit additional supporters of more transportation options in the borough. “We seek to unite Queens and city residents and fight for faster transportation and prosperity,” McManus wrote to the Times Newsweekly on Tuesday. “We want to build a group that gets back into the political process,” he stated. At the rally, supporters of the RBL brought posters, petitions, and informational flyers to educate, motivate, recruit and organize the public to fight for the restoration of the Queens Rockaway Beach Line, according to McManus. Two competing proposals for the abandoned tracks––the first would reactivate the RBL––are vying for attention and public money in the last year. The other, the QueensWay plan, would build a linear park atop the abandoned tracks. A survey conducted by the Queens College Department of Urban Studies that was mailed to south Queens residents to gauge opinions on the options was not completed by many, and didn’t clear the issue significantly. “We are fighting for faster trains, including the RBL,” McManus said. “It’s not just a Rockaway thing, it will benefit everybody, not just Queens.” As recently reported in this paper, the survey asked residents to choose from four different options for the Rockaway Beach line: Reactivating rail service, developing the QueensWay, creating a hybrid rail-park plan or leaving the line fallow. As reported, a plurality of respondents, 33.9 percent, favored re-introducing some form of rail service. The QueensWay came in second with 28.1 percent, followed by the hybrid plan with 18.2 percent and the as-is option with 10.2 percent. Though McManus has been advocating for its reactivation, -SEE RBL ON PG. 54- Legislator Enjoys Day At The Races At Aqueduct Track Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder recently joined New York Racing Association officials for a tour of Aqueduct Racetrack and to take in a horse race at the historic facility. In addition to seeing the upgrades recently made there, Goldfeder was serenaded by Sam the Bugler, famous to racing fans the world over for announcing the start of races at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga Race Tracks for the last quarter century. Find Illegal Pill Stash In Oz. Pk. Home Alleged Dealer Pinched In Narcotics Investigation by Robert Pozarycki Detectives slapped the cuffs on an alleged pill pusher from Ozone Park last week who allegedly had hundreds of painkillers and tranquilizers in his possession, prosecutors announced. George Kurz, 36, of Eckford Street appeared in Queens Criminal Court last Thursday night, Nov. 20, for arraignment on first-, second-, third- and fifthdegree Person Of Interest In Elmhurst Murder by Robert Pozarycki The NYPD released last week an image of a man wanted for questioning in connection with a fatal shooting near an Elmhurst nightclub last month. Law enforcement sources described the person of interest as a black male in his 20s last seen wearing a football jersey with the number 99 on the front. Police want to talk with him about the Oct. 31 shooting in the vicinity of Queens Boulevard and Barnwell Avenue that left a Springfield Gardens woman dead and two others injured. As previously reported, the shooting occurred at 4 a.m. Halloween morning a block away from Club Hive, located at 79-21 Queens Blvd. Authorities said the trouble began with a brawl inside the club. Officers from the 110th Precinct responded to the location after receiving calls about the dispute; after they arrived, club patrons began spilling out onto the street. Moments later, law enforcement sources said, an unidentified individual at the corner of Queens Boulevard and Barnwell Avenue pulled out a gun and began firing at a group of people. -SEE SHOOTING ON PG. 54- charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Reportedly, he was busted the previous day as part of a long-term investigation. Queens Criminal Court Judge Elisa Koenderman ordered Kurz held on $50,000 bail and to return to court on Dec. 4. The suspect faces up to 20 years behind bars if convicted, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “The drugs which Kurz is alleged to have trafficked in each have a street value of $20 to $25 a pill and are popular with club patrons despite the fact that they pose serious health risks,” Brown said in a statement last Friday, Nov. 21. “We have seen a huge rise in the use and abuse of prescription painkillers. Drugs such as oxycodone are extremely potent and have a high potential for abuse and death. Shutting down sources such as alleged in this case will save lives.” Members of the NYPD Organized Crime Investigations -SEE PILLS ON PG. 53- Cops Seek Answers For Fatal Gunfire Near Nightclub This man is wanted by police for questioning regarding an Oct. 31 homicide in Elmhurst. VISIT US ON THE WEB! www.timesnewsweekly.com DDEENNTTAALL CCAARREE FFOORR TTHHEE EENNTTIRREE FFAAMMILLYY Santa LoCascio, D.D.S., P.C. 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