FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JANUARY 2, 2014 • THE COURIER SUN 17 s year in photos Photo Courtesy Kenny Mendoza BANKSY COMES TO QUEENS The ghost-like and notorious British graffi ti artist, only known by the name Banksy, hit the streets to tag his way around the Big Apple in October. In a unique show titled “Better Out Than In,” he went around each day of the month and left his pieces for people to fi nd. Banksy made his fi rst stop in Queens on October 14 in Woodside, his second trip was near an auto mechanic shop in Willets Point. On Halloween, Banksy bid farewell to New York City in Long Island City. Banksy posted on his website “And that’s it. Thanks for your patience. It’s been fun. Save 5Pointz. Bye.” OCTOBER CITY COUNCIL VOTES ON DEVELOPMENTS The City Council voted to AVONTE OQUENDO GOES MISSING Avonte Oquendo, 14, went missing October 4 and has still not been found. He was last seen at the Center Boulevard School at 1-50 51st Avenue in Long Island City. There have been confl icting reports on how the Rego Park autistic teen, who cannot verbally communicate and is supposed to be supervised at all times, managed to leave the school. There is a $95,000 reward to fi nd him. THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan approve three major development projects in the borough. The fi rst was the $3 billion Willets Point project, making way for a 1.4 million-squarefoot shopping center near Citi Field. Then it approved the land use application that would allow the Wolkoff family, owners of the property on Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, and developer G&M Realty to turn the graffi ti mecca known as 5Pointz into two apartment towers in larger dimensions than allowed by current zoning rules. The fi nal approval went to the $1 billion Hallets Point Project, bringing thousands of residential apartments, retail space and parkland to the Astoria waterfront. Queens Museum expansion opening Mayor Michael Bloomberg and offi cials cut the ribbon on the $68 million Queens Museum expansion project on October 30. The Queens Museum, formerly known as the Queens Museum of Art and located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, doubled its size to 105,000 square feet. Since reopening to the public on November 9, the museum now features new galleries, classrooms, a new wing with nine artist studios and a sky-lit atrium. Queens Museum will also have its own 5,000-square-foot public library in 2015, making room for about 14,000 books. Its expansion was designed by Grimshaw and largely funded by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Bloomberg, the state and City Council. Rendering courtesy NYCEDC THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano
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