22 THE COURIER SUN • JUNE 27, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY CHARLES CONROY Hablamos Español Reasonable Fees Payment Plans Available We cover all areas of immigration law, including: • Applications for Green Cards & Citizenship • Visas for Family, Students, and Artists • Visas for Victims of Domestic Violence • Visas for Employees and Businesses • Work Authorization & Temporary Relief • Deportation Defense and Bond Hearings • Federal Court Litigation and Appeals FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION CALL TODAY (646) 253-0511 Offices in Queens and Manhattan Visit us at www.ConroyImmigration.com L & M TOURS PROVIDING RELIABLE SERVICE FOR OVER 14 YEARS! CALL FOR A FREE BROCHURE ONE DAY and MULTI-DAY TOURS! Scheduled Bus Trips All Year Round Over 250 tours to choose from: • Cape May, Philadelphia & Newport • Penn Dutch Amish Tour • Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont • Montreal, Quebec, Niagara Falls, 1000 Islands, Ottawa & Toronto • Cooperstown, Lake George • Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard • Lobster & Crab Feasts • Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland • Casinos, Theatres & Shopping • Sight & Sound Theatres • Gettysburg, Montauk, Boston WWW.LMTOURS.NET • 718-238-2284 6812 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY THE COURIER/Photo by Johann Hamilton The Jamaica Farmers’ Market is open for the season. It will feature four vendors with fresh goods for customers. Jamaica Farmers’ Market is back BY JOHANN HAMILTON editorial@queenscourier.com Jamaica Avenue will be a getting a lot greener this summer with the return of the Jamaica Farmers’ Market. The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation and Down To Earth Markets (DTE) is hosting the market, which is in its 39th year. It currently features four vendors: Alex’s Tomato Farm, John D. Madura Farms, Gajeski Produce and Migliorelli Farms. Each will be at the market every weekend. Miriam Haas founded DTE as Community Markets in 1991. The name changed in 2012 to reflect an emphasis on producing food from the Earth. DTE also runs about 20 other markets throughout the city, including the Queens Botanical Garden Farmers’ Market and a Sunday market in Park Slope, Brooklyn. “The Jamaica Market is great because it exists in an area where there aren’t many options for good, fresh produce,” said Ashley Robinson, market host and manager of DTE. “It’s nice to see regulars, and it’s an important service for the community.” Among the dozens of goods available at the market, there will be oregano, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, parsley and more. Each vendor will bring its own homegrown selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, spices and other products. The market has received positive feedback from Jamaica residents so far. “It’s a good thing for this area because all that’s around here is mostly fast food places,” said Linda Jeffreys. “Now over the summer I don’t have to get in my car to get fresh veggies. I can just walk over here.” The Jamaica Farmers’ Market opens at 8:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday and goes until 4 p.m. It is located on 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue, and will take place from June 21 to November 23. Smith pushing for tax-free Jamaica BY MAGGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com Downtown Jamaica could be included in a tax exemption program that stands to give an economic boost to the area around York College. Governor Andrew Cuomo created and passed a program that installed tax-free zones in designated area around SUNY campuses. When State Senator Malcolm Smith caught wind of the new venture, he proposed getting Queens in on the action. “A university or school can be the center for economic development for a neighborhood,” he said. “York College is the center of southeast Queens.” The program, Start-Up NY, aims to bring revenue to communities in need by giving unprecedented exemptions from sales, property, state and corporate taxes for 10 years. It also includes exemptions from state personal income taxes for employees in newly created jobs. If Smith’s proposal is passed, York College could apply to sponsor a tax-free zone around it. Among the criteria for a neighborhood to gain the special status, it has to have the highest poverty rate out of all college neighborhoods in the borough. The York College community has a roughly 20 percent poverty rate, slightly higher than any other college community in Queens. The initiative is designed with an eye to attracting businesses that can enhance employment opportunities for students and graduates. Retail outlets and real estate firms will not be eligible to participate, while fiber optics companies and other high tech ventures are sought. “These are very powerful incentives,” Smith said. “If properly applied, they could be transformative for York and economically regenerative for Jamaica.” Smith has engaged in talks with Dr. Marcia Keizs, president of York College, to execute this economic vision. The legislator said he has “no doubt” Cuomo will approve the proposal. “There is a strong community presence and involvement in the program,” he said, “because that’s what’s going to make it exceptional and transparent.”
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