4 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 30, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Return to normalcy for LIRR Port Wash. line after Labor Day
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
Aft er a six-week disruption, the Long
Island Rail Road (LIRR) is on track to
restore the Port Washington Branch,
which serves northeast Queens, to full
strength immediately aft er Labor Day.
New schedules posted on the MTA’s
website show that six weekday trains on
the branch, which had been canceled in
Photo via NYPD111Pct
Crook steals
$3,000 from
a parked car in
Douglaston
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Cops are looking for a thief that
broke into a parked car in Douglaston
and stole cash from inside it.
According to police, at 8:30 p.m.
on Aug. 27, an unknown man broke
into a car that was parked behind the
Mizuni restaurant, located at 231-10
Northern Blvd. Once inside, the suspect
took $3,000 from a bag that was
inside the car.
At this time, it is unclear how the
suspect gained access to the vehicle,
however a tweet released by the 111th
Precinct suggests that the car may have
been unlocked.
Video of the break-in is available
on the 111th Precinct Twitter (@
NYPD111Pct).
Anyone with information in regards
to this incident is asked to call the
NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at
800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish,
888-57-PISTA (74782). Th e public can
also submit their tips by logging onto
the Crime Stoppers website or by texting
their tips to 274637 (CRIMES)
then enter TIP577. All calls and messages
are kept confi dential.
mid-July, will be restored beginning on
Tuesday, Sept. 4. Th e cancellation was
the result of ongoing work at the Harold
Interlocking point in Woodside as part
of the East Side Access project, which
will eventually allow LIRR trains to access
Grand Central Station.
Th ree trains in each direction will be
restored on Sept. 4. Th ey are:
• the 8:21 a.m. eastbound train out of Penn
Station, which stops at Woodside and
makes all stops on the branch to Port
Washington;
• the 8:45 a.m. westbound train out of
Port Washington, which makes all stops
to Great Neck before running express
through to Penn Station;
• the 4:22 p.m. eastbound train out of
Penn Washington which runs express to
Great Neck, then makes all stops to Port
Washington;
• the 5 p.m. westbound train out of Port
Washington, which makes all stops on
the branch (except at Plandome and
Murray Hill), then stops at Woodside
and Penn Station;
• the 6:44 p.m. westbound train out of
Great Neck, which stops at Little Neck,
Douglaston and Bayside, then runs
express to Flushing-Main Street before
stopping at Woodside and Penn Station;
and
• the 7:01 p.m. eastbound train out of Penn
Station, which runs express to Bayside
and Great Neck, then stops at Manhasset,
Plandome and Port Washington.
Additionally, the LIRR will change the
timing of 12 additional weekday trains
(three eastbound, nine westbound) on
Sept. 4. Th e LIRR had moved these trains a
few minutes earlier or later to better serve
passengers during the service disruptions.
Two trains which the LIRR had added to
the line during the disruption period will
be canceled: the eastbound express train
out of Penn Station at 5:47 p.m., which
stops at Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome
and Port Washington; and the 5:21 p.m.
westbound local train out of Great Neck
File photo/THE COURIER
which makes all stops (except Woodside)
to Penn Station.
Th e LIRR is implementing new schedules
throughout the system that will take
eff ect on Sept. 4. All schedules are good
through Nov. 11.
For further information about Port
Washington Branch service, visit mta.info/
LIRR.
You can pick up a copy of the new
schedules at your local LIRR station, or
visit http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/
Branch2/PortWashingtonBranch.pdf.
Bayside pol: Improve test prep rather than eliminate SHSAT
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
When it comes to specialized high schools
in New York City, it’s not the test that’s the
problem — it’s the lack of diversity caused
by uneven access to test prep, according to a
Queens lawmaker.
State Senator Tony Avella is calling on
Governor Andrew Cuomo to include funding
for the DREAM Program, which focuses
on test preparation for students that are
underrepresented by entrance exams, in
next year’s state budget.
“Th e end goal in including funding
for the DREAM Program is to both save
the test and increase diversity from lower
performing school districts,” Avella
said. “By allocating funds to test preparation,
students will be better prepared
for their future because they will have
received the proper educational support
earlier in their life. Th at is why I am calling
on Governor Cuomo to allocate $10
million to the New York City Department
of Education’s DREAM Program.”
On June 3, Mayor Bill de Blasio
announced his intentions to abolish the
Specialized High School Admission Test
(SHSAT), citing that the current system
prevents black and Hispanic students from
getting into these schools. Avella, who is a
supporter of the SHSAT, believes the city
should address the diversity issue by providing
more funding to the DREAM Program.
Th e DREAM Program is comprised of
two initiatives: the DREAM-SHSI and the
DREAM summer/fall intensive. Students
DREAM-SHSI are chosen based on both
academic and family income requirements
while those in the summer/fall intensive,
are recruited based on the school district
they attend.
Avella believes that instead of taking away
the SHSAT, funding the DREAM Program
would increase diversity in the specialized
high schools by educating children at
the lower grades and providing them with
the tools necessary to succeed in the later
Photo courtesy of the offi ce of state Senator Tony Avella
grades, which in turn will set them up to
better succeed on the test.
“Test preparation and enrichment actually
foster learning and improve educational
outcomes to the benefi t of all
students engaging in it, including those
who ultimately are not successful on the
SHSAT,” said Jon Roberts, member of
CoalitionEDU. “Test prep essentially is
just studying. Instead of being scorned by
some, it must be encouraged and facilitated
fi nancially where needed.”
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