8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 26, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Pols blast 7 line woes, but MTA spins wheel report
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
The never-ending woes on the 7
line were again raised on July 19 at a
Jackson Heights press conference —
but the MTA said that some claims
about the train line’s condition are
untrue.
State Senate candidate Jessica Ramos
held the press conference at the Jackson
Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street
with gubernatorial candidate Cynthia
Nixon and Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer in response to reports that
“reveal the desperate and dangerous
state of our subways.”
“The 7 train is a staple of life in
Queens. Tens of thousands of us take
it every day — to go to work, to school,
to the doctor, to visit family,” Ramos
said. “Meanwhile, our elected officials
continue to ignore the fact that
the wheels are worn down on half of
all 7 trains. We are in danger — simply
because our representatives refuse
to prioritize our safety. This kind of
neglect is a disgrace.”
Ramos referred to a Daily News
report which indicated that the wheels
on “half of all 7 trains” are worn down.
The report also stated that half of the
7 train fleet failed inspections in 2017,
which were conducted only after two
derailments occurred on the train line.
But Jon Weinstein, MTA director of
communications and senior adviser
to MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, denied
these claims on Twitter.
“This is flat out false. Completely
untrue and at no point ever was a 7
train that failed an inspection in passenger
service,” wrote Weinstein in a
Tweet.
Weinstein explained that train
wheels are measured every 75 days,
and when required, they are trimmed
or “trued” so the four wheels on every
“truck” are the same size. He adds that
wheels that fail inspection are taken
out of service, trimmed, then put back
into service.
At the press conference, Nixon blasted
Governor Andrew Cuomo for the
current state of the MTA.
“Governor Cuomo has not only
ignored the MTA, but raided its budget
to pay for his own pet projects. He
uses the MTA like an ATM,” Nixon
said. “Not only are there serious safety
concerns, but delayed service is
also devastating to low-income New
Yorkers’ financial concerns. Once and
for all, it is the governor who controls
the MTA and is responsible for its
funding — and he has blatantly failed
New Yorkers.”
Van Bramer echoed the sentiments
of Ramos and Nixon, and also took the
opportunity to plug his endorsements
of the candidates.
“Every single rider of the 7 train
deserves to be safe,” said Van Bramer.
“The fact that we need to come out and
demand better service time and time
and time again is part of the reason
why I’ve endorsed Cynthia Nixon and
Jessica Ramos. Simply put — it is time
to change the MTA so that it works for
all straphangers.”
On Twitter, Van Bramer wrote that
he took the train to Woodside with
both Ramos and Nixon. The three
stopped at the Stop Inn diner, followed
by distributing fliers and talking
to train riders on the Woodside-61st
Street station platform.
Three cuff ed for roles in wild Queens Center mall melee
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Th ree people face assault charges for their
alleged roles in a wild melee in the Queens
Center Mall food court on Friday night.
Police said the violent incident —
which left one man with a stab wound
to his head — began at about 7 p.m. on
July 20 in the food court in the JCPenney
wing of the mall located at 90-17 Queens
Blvd. in Elmhurst.
According to WABC-TV, two men
in their 20s were at the food court eating
when a group of fi ve individuals
approached and engaged them in a dispute.
Th at set off a large fracas between
the group caught on camera, during
which one of the participants slashed a
27-year-old man in the head.
Offi cers from the 110th Precinct and
EMS units responded to a 911 call about
the melee. Paramedics brought the
27-year-old man to a local hospital for
treatment of his injuries, which were
not considered life-threatening. Another
man injured in the assault was also hospitalized
and treated.
Shortly aft er the fi ght, police said, three
individuals — Joshua Adams, 21, of First
Street in Astoria and Dorell James, 20,
and Shakema James, 27, of Salisbury,
North Carolina — were apprehended
at the corner of 92nd Street and 57th
Avenue, just outside of the mall. Police
charged each of them aft er questioning.
According to the criminal complaint
that the Queens District Attorney’s offi ce
provided, the three individuals had visited
the food court when they were
approached by the 27-year-old man,
who attempted to punch Dorell James
in the face. All of the defendants, along
Photo via Google Maps
with an unapprehended individual, then
became involved in the brawl.
Adams, Dorell James and Shakema
James were each charged with second-
and third-degree assault and second-degree
harassment, police said.
Two other individuals believed to have
been involved in melee remain at large,
law enforcement sources said.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Ramos
8/31/18 8/31/18
SUMMER SALE
8/31/18
����������������������������
With the purchase of glasses,
contact lens e l.
$100 OFF
DESIGNER FRAMES PLUS FREE 2ND PAIR
Includes EYE EXAM Frames & Lenses
* $200 minimum purchase on first pair of designer frames. Second pair frame from select
group with clear plastic, single vision lenses +/-4 sph., 2 cyl.
Not valid with any other offers,
Expires 8/31/18
/
link
