FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com OCTOBER 30, 2014 • The Courier SUN 21 Photo courtesy of Woodside on the Move Woodside celebrates 3rd Annual ‘Woofside’ Halloween Pet Parade BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO won best matching pet and owner, and a [email protected]/@ Sons of Anarchy biker won best costume, aaltamirano28 according to Adrian Bordoni, executive director of Woodside on the Move. Tails were wagging this past weekend Parade participants learned about programs in Woodside as dozens of four-legged and rescue options and won raffle members of the community took part in a prizes and vet services from Skillman spooktacular event. Pets, Queens Animal Hospital, Heavenly Community organization Woodside on Angels and the ASPCA Therapy program. the Move celebrated its third annual The special guest was Councilman “Woofside” Halloween Pet Parade on Jimmy Van Bramer who has helped allocate Saturday. funding for the expanded Woodside Dressed in costumes, the pets enjoyed Dog Run, Bordoni said. a day filled with music, a parade with The annual event received contributions their owners, some also dressed up, and from SUDS Mutts, Friends of a costume contest. Sherry Park Dog Run, and the Woodside Funniest costume went to a pooch Dog Run committee. dressed as a martini cocktail with three For more information on future olives sticking out of a cone, a ballerina events, contact abeltran@woodsideonthemove. won best trick, a family of Ghostbusters org. CITI BIKE TO ARRIVE IN LIC, ASTORIA BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 The city’s first bike share program will soon become a reality in Queens. Long Island City and Astoria are part of a list of neighborhoods in the city that will receive Citi Bike docking stations in upcoming years, officials announced on Tuesday. The news came as former MTA chairman and CEO Jay Walder was named the incoming CEO of Alta Bicycle Share, the operator of Citi Bike. Alta was recently bought by investment firm REQX Ventures, according to published reports. “Even as we are enhancing and improving our system we will expand it as well, we will double the number of bikes and we will bring them to new neighborhoods in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens,” Walder said. As part of the announcement, the Department of Transportation (DOT), Alta and Citi said the bike share system would expand from 330 stations and 6,000 bicycles to more than 700 stations and 12,000 bikes by the end of 2017. Along with expanding the bike share program, Citi Bike will also overhaul every bicycle in the system, fix every existing docking station and enhance the technology used in the program. “Anyone who uses Citi Bike regularly knows that it should be more reliable, it should be easier to use and it should be accessible to more of the city,” Walder said. “In short, Citi Bike has the potential to be so much more and today we are committing to make that potential a reality.” While being committed to improving the service, the price rates for annual membership will jump from $95 to $149. Although the locations of stations in western Queens have yet to be announced, local elected officials are excited that Queens will finally become a part of the Citi Bike Share program. “Once and for all the blue bikes are in Queens,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. “There is no such thing as a citywide program that does not include the great borough of Queens.” State Sen. Michael Gianaris worked with DOT last year to include Astoria in the Citi Bike plans. There are also plans to include other parts of Queens in the future, according to officials. Last November the DOT started the process of bringing the bike share program to the western Queens neighborhoods by getting community input from Community Boards 1 and 2. Now the agency will go back to working with the community to reassess the recommended sites for stations and see if any have changed. “We want these blue bikes here as soon as possible because people are going to be able to experience Queens in a way that they haven’t, see our cultural institutions, shop at our restaurants, explore the wonders of the waterfront and folks from here are going to be able to have another opportunity to get around,” Van Bramer said. Long Island City was supposed to be part of the Citi Bike’s initial phase, which debuted last May, but was pushed back after equipment damages from Superstorm Sandy caused a delay. THE COURIER/Photo by Cristabelle Tumola Addabbo hosts Rite Aid flu shot event BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF [email protected]/@QueensCourier Rite Aid is offering flu shots to the community at the office of state Sen. Joseph Addabbo. The shots will be given at 159-55 102nd St. between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Nov. 11. The flu shot is free for Medicare A and B carriers. Most forms of insurance are also accepted, and the procedure costs $31.99 otherwise. Appointments are not necessary, but those intending to participate are encouraged to call the senator’s office at 718-738-1111 to ensure Rite Aid brings sufficient flu shots for the event. For more information, contact Addabbo’s office or call Cathy Brancato, Rite Aid wellness ambassador, at 718-845-1066.
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