WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 30, 2021 17
At Home furniture store opened at Rego Center. Photo courtesy of At Home
Queens’ top stories from April 2021
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
As we look forward to 2022, QNS
is looking back at the top stories
throughout 2021.
Below are the top stories from the
month of April, which include new
chain stores opening in the borough for
the fi rst time, the infamous Whitestone
“Wolverine” indictment and the tragic
passing of a high-ranking NYPD offi cial,
among others.
NEW CHAIN STORES OPEN
IN QUEENS
Lidl, a discount grocery store, opened
its fi rst location in Queens on April 7, in
Astoria.
The new store is located at 19-30 37th
St. The grocer, which originated in Germany
and now operates about 11,200
stores in 32 countries with headquarters
in Virginia, is known for its low prices
and high-quality products.
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards joined store workers in their
grand opening ceremony.
“With the recent economic downturn
hitting Queens especially hard, we are
thrilled about the opening of Lidl discount
grocery in Astoria and are excited
that the store will off er good-paying jobs
that start at $17 an hour,” Richards said.
At Home, a major national home
goods store, opened its fi rst New York
City location at the Rego Center mall on
April 21.
The new store is located on the second
fl oor of the mall, located at 61-35 Junction
Blvd. in Rego Park. The Texas-based
retail chain store, with more than 200
locations across the country, is known
for its unique take on home decor.
WHITESTONE ‘WOLVERINE’
INDICTED ON ATTEMPTED
MURDER CHARGES AFTER
THREATENING BLM
DEMONSTRATORS
A Flushing man was indicted on April
14 on nine counts of attempted murder
aft er he allegedly threatened to kill a
small group of Black Lives Matter protesters
with a Wolverine-type weapon in
Whitestone in the summer of 2020.
Frank Cavalluzzi, 55, also faces attempted
assault, reckless endangerment,
reckless driving and criminal possession
of a weapon charges for threatening
the group of about a dozen racial justice
demonstrators in June 2020, according to
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Cavalluzzi faced up to 25 years in
prison for each of the nine victims.
HIGH-RANKING NYPD
OFFICIAL TAKES HIS OWN
LIFE NEAR KISSENA PARK
The commander of a central
Queens police precinct, Deputy
Inspector Denis Mullaney, took his
own life on April 5 near Kissena
Park inside a department-issued
vehicle, according to published
reports.
The 44-year-old headed the 107th
Precinct, which covers parts of
Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Pomonok,
Hillcrest and Jamaica.
Mullaney was reportedly found
with a self-inflicted gunshot wound
inside a vehicle at the corner of
Underhill Avenue and 164th Street,
near Kissena Park, in Flushing.
EMS units rushed Mullaney to
a local hospital, but he was pronounced
dead a short time later. A
candlelight vigil was held on Mullaney’s
honor later that week.
“Devastated to learn of the tragic
loss of Deputy Inspector Denis
Mullaney who was just welcomed
as Commanding Officer of the 107th
Precinct not long ago,” Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic wrote on Twitter.
Mullaney’s death is believed to
be the first active-duty suicide of
an NYPD member in 2021.
ST. FRANCIS PREP LEADS
QUEENS, BROOKLYN
IN CHILD SEX ABUSE
LAWSUITS
More child sex abuse lawsuits
were filed against St. Francis Preparatory
School in Fresh Meadows
than any other Catholic school in
the Diocese of Brooklyn since the
passage of the state’s Child Victims
Act in 2019 through the end of 2020,
according to a recent analysis.
The institutions with the most lawsuits
are predominantly in Queens,
including St. Francis Prep, which
counts 21 lawsuits against nine perpetrators
for abuse that allegedly
happened between 1959 and 2001.
In response to the report, diocese
spokesman John Quaglione said the
Diocese of Brooklyn “takes each of
these complaints seriously and cooperates
fully with any and all law
enforcement investigations.”
“Most of these allegations are
from decades ago, which does not
negate the fact that the accused
has the right to due process under
the law,” Quaglione said. “We pray
for all victims of sexual abuse that
they may be able to further heal and
be strengthened by God’s love for
them.”
YEAR IN REVIEW
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