FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 4, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
New NE Queens helicopter route to help reduce noise woes
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Northeast Queens may soon get some
relief from the airborne noise caused by
helicopters and fl oat planes.
Beginning on Monday, Oct. 15,
Congressman Tom Suozzi announced,
the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) will test a six-month-long alternative
route that will shift inbound air traffi c
away from Whitestone, Bayside and other
areas of northeast Queens. Th e route
will serve as an alternative to the current
North Shore helicopter route, which fl ies
along the north shore of Long Island, and
is estimated to cut helicopter and seaplane
traffi c by up to 50 percent.
Suozzi, Councilman Paul Vallone
and the We Love Whitestone Civic
Association applauded the FAA’s eff orts
to quell the noise that has been plaguing
residents for years.
Since he took offi ce in 2017, Suozzi
had been working with the FAA and
local stakeholders to address issues like
air safety and noise abatement from the
increased air traffi c. In the past, the congressman,
who is co-chair of the Quiet
Skies Caucus, has called for the aviation
authority to explore alternative routes to
improve the quality of life for those in
his district.
“Th e communities of Whitestone,
Bayside and northeast Queens have suffered
from incessant helicopter and aircraft
noise. In recent years, air traffi c volume
has increased dramatically, reaching
a point where families cannot enjoy
their own backyards without constant
noise, making them prisoners in their
own homes,” Suozzi said in his Oct. 2
announcement. “Th e alternative route
will dramatically improve the quality of
life for aff ected residents.”
Th e temporary procedures will be used
by LaGuardia Tower and New York
TRACON for a total of 180 days. During
that time the FAA will test and evaluate
the alternative route on VFR helicopters
and fl oat planes operating at New York
City heliports and seaports.
Upon successful evaluation, the new
procedures will be incorporated into the
N90/LGA Tower Letter of Agreement.
Th e FAA will be examining data collected
under varying conditions including traffi c
volume, runway confi gurations, complexity
and weather.
“The communities of Bayside,
Whitestone and College Point have dealt
with the onslaught of helicopter noise
for far too long,” said Vallone. “Th is
pilot program will bring immediate relief
and improve safety, a win-win. I thank
Congressman Suozzi for prioritizing this
important issue and I look forward to
continuing to work with him to protect
and improve the quality of life for the
families of northeast Queens.”
South Queens seeks justice for local man who died in PA jail
BY EMMA MILLER
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Standing in solidarity, southeast Queens
residents and elected offi cials rallied on
Sunday in Queens Village demanding
justice for a borough native who died
while incarcerated in Pennsylvania.
Th e group gathered at Maranatha
Baptist Church on Sept. 30 to support
the family of Everett Palmer Jr., who died
in April while in police custody in the
Keystone State just two days aft er being
arrested.
“Months of confusion and distortion
of what happened to Everett has compounded
the Palmer family’s grief,” said
state Senator Leroy Comrie. “We’re
standing here today because they deserve
the truth. Th ey need justice for the life of
Everett.”
Palmer, a father of two and U.S. Army
veteran, turned himself in to police in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for an
outstanding 2016 DUI charge. He was
sent to a jail in York County and was
found dead two days later inside his jail
cell.
According to Comrie, the initial coroner’s
report stated that Palmer died
of self-infl icted injuries aft er hitting his
head off the door of his cell repeatedly.
However, the autopsy revealed that
Palmer’s cause of death was “complications
following an excited state, associated
with methamphetamine toxicity,
during physical restraint.”
Th e Palmer family has since hired an
attorney and a private medical examiner.
Th ey are demanding an investigation by
York County District Attorney David W.
Sunday. Th ey also started a petition and
a Facebook page called Justice4Everett.
“Too many questions regarding the
cause of Everett Palmer, Jr.’s death remain
unanswered, and the Pennsylvania State
Police have not been transparent,” said
Congressman Gregory Meeks. “His family
should not have to bear the grief of not
knowing how or why he died in that jail
cell, and I stand with them in their pursuit
of truth and justice for Everett.”
City Council Members I. Daneek Miller
and Adrienne Adams expressed similar
sympathies while calling for an investigation
to be opened.
Photo courtesy of Brandon Clarke
“We are vigilant in our pursuit to
demand justice for the homicide death
of Everett Palmer, Jr.,” said Bobbie Cole,
a Maranatha Baptist Church representative.
“We are standing strong with the
Palmer Family and won’t stop until the
individuals responsible are prosecuted to
the fullest extent of the law.”
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