FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com february 13, 2014 • The Courier SUN 3 COMMON CORE TOWN HALL BY MAGGIE HAYES [email protected] The Common Core learning standards are creating a stir, and State Senator Joseph Addabbo wants to hear from parents, students and educators. Addabbo is holding a town hall meeting on Thursday, February 13, seeking input on what some have called “controversial” core standards. Issues regarding new federal standards – including privacy concerns – and the efficacy of using standardized tests in conjunction with the core will be addressed. Also discussed will be eliminating testing in younger grades and the correlation between test results and administrative performance. “Common Core has a noble goal: that of preparing all of our children for college and successful careers,” Addabbo said. “However, its implementation so far has been haphazard at best and nightmarish at worst, causing great concern and stress.” This will potentially be the first meeting in a series of Common Core gatherings. It will be held at P.S. 232, The Walter Ward School, from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information or to express interest, contact Addabbo’s Howard Beach office at 718-738-1111. REMEMBER THE WORLD’S FAIR? Did you or someone you know attend the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park? If yes, The Courier is asking you to share your memorabilia and/or memories with us to commemorate the event’s 50th anniversary this April. You could win a dinner for two. Please email your entries to editorial@queenscourier. com with the subject line “World’s Fair Anniversary” or to Editorial, 38-15, Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361. Note: All photos/items become property of The Queens Courier West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department: Back & Better than Before BY MAGGIE HAYES Mitch Udawitch, WHBVFD treasurer, to [email protected] attendees at Russo’s on the Bay. “We have rebuilt and we are whole thanks to many More than one year after the superstorm, people, some of whom are here tonight.” the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Various volunteers were honored for Department (WHBVFD) is back – and notable work throughout the year, including better than before. Ronald Corchado, Dylan English, Officials recognized those who helped James McCabe, Nick Spinelli, Joseph along the recovery journey at its annual Vasquezaldana and Udawitch. dinner on Thursday, February 6. Kevin Delano Jr., the son of the late former “Tonight, I stand here before you to tell chief Kevin Delano Sr., presented the you we are stronger than the storm,” said chief’s award to Udawitch and Spinelli, and Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder was made an honorary battalion chief. The 86-year-old department received donations from the Howard Beach Kiwanis Club, the Ozone Park Kiwanis Club and the Queens West Division. Holly and Roger Gendron, Stephen Sirgiovanni, Dr. Steven Reis, Nick Beneduce and the Kiwanis Club of Glendale were also awarded for their dedication to the department and their help after Sandy. Departments paid it forward BY MAGGIE HAYES [email protected] When the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department (WHBVFD) was seemingly drowning in Sandy’s storm waters, hurricane veterans came to the rescue. A Mississippi volunteer fire department lost five trucks after Hurricane Katrina hit the area in 2005. They additionally sustained 11 feet of floodwater in two fire stations, along with countless damage. During their recovery, a Virginia department donated a fire truck to help get the group back on its feet. When news of Sandy made its way down south, the Mississippi crew wanted to “pay it forward.” “We were in the same situation they were,” said David Peto, chief of the Gulf Park Estates Volunteer Fire Department. “We wanted to pay it forward and do the same thing someone did to us.” Peto searched for ways to help after the superstorm ravaged West Hamilton Beach and stumbled upon a volunteer website. He listed the department’s name and was contacted within a few days. “It just seemed like the right thing to do,” he said. After Katrina, the Gulf Park Estates squad got donations from “all across the country,” coming in from as far as the west coast. When Sandy hit, they knew they had to step up, and passed along the traveling truck. “It’s good to know you’re able to help another community going through the same thing you went through,” Peto said. The Larimer Fire Department in Pennsylvania also donated a fire truck to West Hamilton Beach, and the local group additionally received two new ambulances. “We have rebuilt, and we are 100 percent whole,” said Mitch Udawitch, WHBVFD official. PHONE PREP IN THE FACE OF DISASTER BY MAGGIE HAYES [email protected] In south Queens, one local leader wants the lines of communication open in the event of another superstorm. After Sandy, thousands of residents were left without a lifeline for weeks, some for months – power was out, and cable and land-line service was gone, as was cell reception. Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder hopes that cell phone service providers Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint can build stronger cell towers and infrastructure throughout the region that will withstand the impact of future weather disasters. “Our inability to communicate via cell phone compounded the many issues brought on by Sandy,” Goldfeder said. “Communication is vital during a disaster.” During the superstorm, the severe winds and flooding knocked out many cell towers. “We cannot wait for another disaster to take action,” Goldfeder said. “Every company has a responsibility to their customers to invest in their infrastructure and towers to ensure that service will remain in place during our next potential disaster.” THE COURIER/Photo by Maggie Hayes The West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department had its annual dinner at Russo’s on the Bay and honored various volunteers and community organizations.
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