16 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 25, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Jamaica men busted
for selling narcotics
near a college and high
school campus
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Two Jamaica men have been charged with
possessing and selling cocaine near a local college
campus and a public high school, prosecutors
announced on Friday.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown
said that Timothy Hawkins, 52, a lab technician
at CUNY York College, and Barry Salter,
47, the alleged supplier, were arraigned before
the Queens Criminal Court on Jan. 19. Hawkins
was charged with counts of criminal sale of a
controlled substance, criminal sale of controlled
substance in or near school grounds, criminal
possession of a controlled substance, conspiracy
and criminally using drug paraphernalia.
Salter was charged with counts of criminal sale
of a controlled substance, criminal possession
of a controlled substance and conspiracy. Each
man faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Th e investigation began in April 2017 when
NYPD offi cers were assigned to focus on cocaine
traffi cking in Jamaica. During the course of
the investigation, which included physical surveillance,
court authorized eavesdropping and
search warrants, undercover police offi cers
and others allegedly purchased cocaine from
Hawkins on many occasions.
On a number of occasions, according to the
charges, Hawkins was allegedly observed leaving
York College to meet with undercover operatives
who were posing as drug buyers and driving
with the buyers to Salter’s residence to pick
up the drugs before returning to the college.
On two occasions, prosecutors said, Hawkins
was allegedly observed leaving York College and
making drug sales near the Queens High School
for the Sciences, which is within the campus of
York College.
Earlier this week, offi cers executed a court-authorized
search warrant on Salter’s apartment.
During the search, police allegedly recovered
two kilos of cocaine, two digital scales, a money
counter and $2,000 in cash.
“Th is investigation is another example of
police and prosecutors working together to
reduce drug dealing that too oft en plagues our
neighborhoods,” Brown said in a Jan. 19 statement.
“We are committed to continuing to
employ aggressive and innovative tactics to track
down and prosecute drug dealers and others
who would fl ood our streets with drugs and lure
our children into lives of crime. If convicted, the
defendants face considerable time behind bars.”
Queensboro Br. left off 'Fix NYC' toll plan
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
Governor Andrew Cuomo released
on Jan. 19 a much anticipated plan for
congestion pricing, which the administration
argues would ease traffi c and
provide an infl ux of funding for the
cash-strapped MTA.
Unlike the Move NY plan created
by leading transportation engineer
“Gridlock” Sam Schwartz, the plan
released by the governor’s Fix NYC
panel excludes most of the East River
crossings, including the Queensboro
Bridge.
If the plan passes the state
Legislature, most Queens drivers will
not see any increases or decreases in
bridge and tunnel fares.
Th e plan proposes charging vehicles
a one-time fare of $11.52 from
Monday through Friday, between the
hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. for those
entering the Central Business District
(CBD) in Manhattan. Th e report
identifi es the CBD as 60th Street and
below. Fees could also vary depending
on the time of day that vehicles enter
the CBD.
It would exclude drivers using FDR
Drive from the Brooklyn Bridge to
60th Street. Th e panel also suggests
that those entering the congestion
zone through the Queens Midtown
Tunnel receive a credit for the amount
of toll already paid.
Drivers would be charged if they
enter Manhattan through either the
Williamsburg or Manhattan Bridges
because they would automatically
enter the congestion zone; drivers on
the Brooklyn Bridge who exit onto
the FDR Drive rather than continue
into the congestion zone would not
be charged.
Trucks, which the panel sees as “a
signifi cant contributor to congestion
in the CBD” would be charged a onetime
fee of $25.34. For-hire vehicles
and taxis would be exempt from the
zone charge but they would see a
surcharge of $2 to $5 as they enter
Manhattan below 96th Street or 60th
street.
A 2016 study found that New York
City traffi c congestion ranks second
worst among cities in the United
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his plan for congestion pricing on Jan 19.
States and third worst among cities in
the world. Th is congestion could cost
the city $100 billion over the next fi ve
years.
Th e panel argues that congestion
pricing could bring in revenues of
$1.5 billion for the MTA. Th e plan
would take approximately two years
to implement in phases and the advisory
panel also suggests taking other
steps to improve congestion such
as improving enforcement of traffi c
laws, overhauling the placard program
and reforming the Taxi & Limousine
Commission regulations.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who believes
that a millionaire’s tax is the best
option for securing dedicated revenue
for the MTA, expressed lukewarm
approval of the plan on the Jan. 19
Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC radio.
“We have not gotten all the details,”
he said. “But, look, there’s one thing I
can say at the start, this plan certainly
shows improvement over previous
plans we’ve seen over the years, and
that’s a good thing. Defi nitely a step in
the right direction. It does not achieve,
in my view, some of the things we
need the most which is a guaranteed,
reliable form of funding for the MTA.”
He also added that his plan would
include Fair Fares, which are halfprice
MetroCards for low-income
New Yorkers.
Th e plan by the Fix NYC panel has
received mixed reviews from elected
offi cials and transit advocates. Queens
Photo via Wikipedia/Simsala111
Assemblyman David Weprin said he
is glad that the plan does not include
imposing fares on East River crossings.
“I am pleased to hear that the governor
did not include tolls on the East
River bridge crossings, which have
been free since 1911, as part of his 2018
Executive Budget Proposal,” Weprin
said. “As I’ve expressed before, tolls
impose an unfair burden on the middle
class, small businesses, and those
who cannot access public transportation.”
But he also announced that he, along
with Councilman Barry Grodenchik,
Queens Civic Congress and Queens
Chamber of Commerce will hold a
press conference on Jan. 21 to oppose
the plan.
Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy
organization, praised the plan and
urged Cuomo to use his “legendary
political skills” to make the plan a
reality.
“Governor Cuomo deserves credit
for the Fix NYC panel’s proposal,
which is a strong, progressive plan to
raise the money we need to fi x our ailing
subways,” said John Raskin, executive
director of the Riders Alliance.
“As the transit system has deteriorated,
beleaguered riders have been
demanding relief from the governor.
Any serious plan to fi x the subway will
require billions of dollars to implement,
and this congestion pricing plan
would make that possible.”
Two Queens Toys R Us stores are going out of business
BY RYAN KELLEY
rkelley@qns.com
Twitter @R_Kelley
International toy store chain Toys
R Us is reportedly closing up to 182
locations nationwide, including two in
Queens, as part of the company’s reorganization
aft er fi ling for Chapter 11
bankruptcy.
Th e list of possible closures includes
the Toys R Us inside the Metro Mall-
Middle Village at 66-26 Metropolitan
Avenue and the Babies R Us on 20th
Avenue in College Point. According
to a USA Today report, the company
said that some store closings may be
avoided if lease terms can be renegotiated,
but most of the stores on the list
are expected to shut down.
In total, Toys R Us is expected to
cut its number of stores by about 20
percent if all 182 stores close. Back in
September 2017, the company fi led for
bankruptcy because of signifi cant debt
and the need to restructure the company
for the modern era, the report said.
At that time, the company faced a 120-
day deadline for rejecting store leases.
In December, however, the company
won a ruling that extended the deadline
to April 2018 because it argued
that operating during the holidays
would be crucial to deciding the fate
of its stores. On Tuesday, Toys R Us
won a Bankruptcy Court ruling that
approved a plan to pay landlords $1.3
million to extend store leases beyond
the April deadline, the report said.
Th e company also plans to merge
a number of locations into combined
Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores.
Going out of business sales are
expected to begin in February and be
completed in April.