FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 13, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Recycling event
in Flushing this
weekend
Queens residents looking to do some
summer cleaning can take advantage of this
recycling event in Flushing this Sunday.
Th e Queens Botanical Garden will serve
as an electronics drop-off location on July
16 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Th e event will
take place rain or shine.
Accepted materials include working and
non-working computers, monitors, printers,
scanners, keyboards, computer mice,
televisions, VCRs, DVD players, phones,
cellphones, audio/visual equipment and
PDAs.
E-waste recycling has been required by
New York State law since Jan. 1, 2015. It
is illegal to discard electronics in the trash.
Th e Queens Botanical Garden is located at
43-50 Main St. Th e drop-off site will be set
up at the parking lot on Commelin Street.
Suzanne Monteverdi
Give blood in
Bayside, and get
Mets tickets
To help combat an ongoing blood shortage,
Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein is
sponsoring his 5th Annual Summer Blood
Drive.
Th e blood drive will be held at Bay
Terrace Shopping Center (located at 212th
Street and 26th Avenue) on Th ursday, Aug.
10 from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. Braunstein is urging
New Yorkers to donate because, “Each
blood donation helps to save up to three
lives.”
Donors will receive an electronic voucher
for two tickets to see the New York Mets
play at Citi Field for donating. Refreshments
will also be distributed.
For eligibility, donors must bring an ID
with a photo or signature, weigh a minimum
of 110 pounds, be between the ages
of 16 and 75, and have had no tattoos in
the past 12 months. You are encouraged
to eat well and drink plenty of fl uids before
donating.
For more information on this event, call
Braunstein’s offi ce at 718-357-3588 or email
braunsteine@nyassembly.gov.
Andreina Perez
Off -duty cop
arrested for assault
in Jamaica
An off -duty police offi cer was arrested
aft er he put his arm around a woman’s neck
following an argument.
According to police, at 10:40 p.m. on
Th ursday, July 6, Brayan Terrazas, 31, was
arrested within the confi nes of the 103rd
Precinct.
Police said that he got into a verbal dispute
with the victim, which resulted in
Terrazas putting his arm around her neck.
Terrazas was charged with criminal
obstruction of breathing, assault and
harassment.
Emily Davenport
Photos by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
Mixed feelings in Bayside as ‘Summer of
Hell’ starts for the Long Island Rail Road
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Bayside Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
commuters had some confl icting emotions
this morning walking into what
was dubbed the “Summer of Hell” for
New York City commuters.
Beginning July 10, long-anticipated
emergency repair work on Penn Station
tracks conducted by Amtrak will impact
an estimated 10,000 LIRR customers
who ride during peak hours in the form
of train cancellations and disruptions,
according to the MTA. Th e repair work
is expected to aff ect peak hours through
Friday, Sept. 1.
For northeast Queens residents, three
rush hour trains, one in the morning
and two in the evening, are eliminated
in the new summer schedule on the
Port Washington line.
Customers at the Bayside LIRR train
station this morning had mixed emotions
about the much-hyped service disruptions.
Tish Mouzalas, who works part time
in Manhattan, said she doesn’t think
the work will impact her commute.
However, she has heard concerns from
her daughter, who lives in Woodside
and takes the 7 train into Manhattan to
work every day.
“I think everybody’s worried about
it,” she said. “My daughter is concerned
that people are going to be getting
off and hopping on the 7 train,
which is going to aff ect her and her
commute … And I think some people
are probably concerned about having to
possibly commute to Hunters Point to
get their train.”
Anthony, a 35-year LIRR customer,
said he will instead take the bus to
Flushing and the 7 train into Manhattan
most days this summer to avoid the
congestion. Th is will add about 30 minutes
to his commute each way.
“I’m not too hopeful that it won’t continue
to be the ‘Fall from Hell,’” said the
Bayside resident.
Jane, another Bayside resident who
usually takes the 9:44 a.m. train daily,
was unaware that the construction work
was happening.
“Th e evening is already packed,” she
said, concerned by the news.
A nearby customer turned to her traveling
companion upon descending to
the platform and said, “So far so good.”
Riders on returning evening peak
trains to the Bayside station said that
trains ran on time for the most part, but
were very crowded.
Th e MTA has encourage riders to
plan ahead for the track work, use travel
alternatives, take advantage of discounts
and sign up for MTA alerts during the
summer construction work.
In an open letter to LIRR riders, MTA
Chairman Joe Lhota said the transportation
corporation “has worked hand-inhand
with the Penn Station Task Force
to prepare a comprehensive transportation
plan” and reminds customers that
the construction work is being conducted
on Amtrak tracks.
“All of us at the MTA appreciate that
Amtrak’s repairs are a serious inconvenience,”
Lhota writes. “When our daily
commutes become so routine they’re
second nature, changes and disruptions
can be frustrating. During this period
of adjustment to the summer schedule,
please bear in mind these are Amtrak
repairs that are causing this disruption.”
If you plan on riding the LIRR during
peak hours this summer, visit www.lirrsummerschedule.
com for more information.
Customers wait for the train to Manhattan in Bayside on July 10, the fi rst day of Amtrak’s emergency track work.