18 DECEMBER 28, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
2017 Year in Review
SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER
September
Shakeup at the Queens County GOP
The Queens County Republican Party
had another leadership shakeup, as
former Congressman Robert Turner
was booted in favor of Howard Beach District
Leader Joann Ariola. The party shook
things up even further at its Sept. 28 meeting
when it nominated Robert Holden -- a
long-time Democrat who had recently lost
a primary to City Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley -- as Crowley’s Republican challenger
in the November general election.
Gaining the Republican ticket would prove
advantageous for Holden on Election Day.
Queens rallies to help hurricane victims
After three major hurricanes
-- Harvey, Irma
and Maria -- rocked the
Caribbean and the southeastern
United States, Queens residents
came together to help those in
the storm-stricken areas. In the
months that followed, Queens
paid particular attention to victims
of Hurricane Maria in Puerto
Rico, after the entire island was
ravaged by the storm. Local hospitals
sent entire teams of physicians
and other personnel there to
provide much needed care. As the
calendar turns to 2018, it figures
that Queens residents will continue
providing relief to the island
commonwealth as the painfully
slow recovery continues.
Q
October
Ridgewood restaurant makes
comeback after fi re
Aft er a fi re forced it to close
for six months, Tasty’s
Diner on Myrtle Avenue
in Ridgewood reopened to the
public in October. An electrical
fire in April forced the diner’s
owner, George Lagos, to shutter his
establishment for half a year in order
to make repairs. Lagos offi cially
reopened his eatery on Oct. 18 — six
months to the day of the fi re — as a
“soft opening” so he and the staff
can get used to the way the newand
improved Tasty’s operates.
Glendale cemetery
vandals locked up
Cops caught up in late October to
ght i l t O t b t l kd d th
three men who allegedly vandalized
numerous headstones
inside of Cypress Hills Cemetery
in August. It is alleged that Edward
Evseev, 21, Mark Barrancos, 21, and
Bruno Camacho, 22, gained access
to the Memorial Abbey Mausoleum,
where approximately 15 vaults were
damaged with at least two marble
enclosures cracked, and more than
10 damaged with paint. In addition,
three stained glass windows were
broken, three statues were knocked
over and broken, and at least a pair of
bases for those statues were knocked
over and broken. They were each
booked on hate crime charges and
face up to 15 years behind bars if
convicted.