30 The Courier sun • november 7, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Holiday Market coming to LIC! The holiday spirit is coming to Long Island City. Although LIC Flea & Food has come to an end for the season, the shopping is not over, as the LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market will be making its debut over three weekends before Christmas. The new holiday market will begin on Saturday, December 7 and will be held every Saturday and Sunday until Sunday, December 22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m, with free admission. It will be located inside the warehouse attached to the LIC Flea lot at 5-25 46th Avenue. The outdoor space will be turned into a free parking lot. To get into the market, visitors will enter the back ramp and through a big garage door, opening to a world filled with unique holiday treats. Visitors will be able to shop for presents for their loved ones from 50 unique vendors selling typical handmade gifts and different types of food. Getting ready for the Christmas celebration, guests will also be able to buy fresh cut Christmas trees straight from the farm “The LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market will be a great local destination for people to find unique, locally made gifts,” said Joshua Schneps, LIC Flea & Food president. “The other great attractions will include food, music and other entertainment, such as the Cosmos professional soccer team.” Taking a break in between shopping, children will also be able to take a free photo with Santa who will visit the holiday market both Saturdays and Sundays. The holiday market will also feature live big band jazz music on Sundays from The Dandy Wellington Band, who will have your feet tapping to their beats. Guests will also be able to get a chance to meet and get autographs from professional players of the New York Cosmos soccer team who will be at the market with demonstrations for fans. The LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market is looking for vendors with vintage, handcrafted and artisan items and great food, including snacks and treats. Vendors can fill out an application at www.licflea.com. Schumer calls for tracking devices for autistic kids BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] It’s been more than a month since Avonte Oquendo was last seen leaving his Long Island City school. Now, one politician is calling for a program that could help prevent another child from going missing. Avonte, 14, was last seen at the Center Boulevard School at 1-50 51st Avenue around 12:38 p.m. on Friday, October 4. There have been conflicting reports on how the Rego Park teen, who cannot verbally communicate and is supposed to be supervised at all times, managed to leave the school, said the family’s attorney, David Perecman. To stop another child like Avonte from going missing, on Monday, November 4, Senator Charles Schumer called for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to both create and fund a program which would provide voluntary tracking devices for children with autism or other developmental disorders. The program would only include children whose parents choose to use the devices and would be designed for children with disorders in which bolting, running or wandering is common. “The sights and sounds of cities, schools and other busy places can be over-stimulating and distracting for children and teens with autism, often leading to wandering as a way to escape,” said Schumer. “Voluntary tracking devices will help our teachers and parents in the event that the child runs away and, God forbid, goes missing.” The tracking devices could be used as nontampering wristwatches, anklets, or can be clipped onto belt loops or shoelaces. When the child or teen goes missing, either the caregiver, parent or school notifies the device company and then a trained emergency team responds to the location. A tracking device program like this already exists in Massachusetts. One kind of device, made by Project Lifesaver, averages a recovery time of 30 minutes. Schumer called on the DOJ to award funds to local law enforcement agencies or organizations that would provide tracking devices for children with autism. The DOJ has already awarded competitive grants to such organization that aide in finding missing people with Alzheimer’s. “Funding this program will help put school systems and parents of children and teens with autism at ease knowing where their children are,” said Schumer. According to reports, last week a teenage boy posted on his Facebook page a photo of who he believed resembled Avonte riding an F train. The image showed the side view of a boy sitting down wearing a tan jacket, green pants, and staring straight ahead. The teen reportedly said he asked the boy if he was Avonte and received no answer. Police reportedly located the pictured boy the next day and confirmed it was not the missing autistic teen. Since Avonte went missing, the reward to find him has increased to $95,000. He was last seen wearing a gray striped shirt, black jeans and black sneakers. He is 5’3” tall and weighs 125 pounds. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime stoppers at 800- 577-TIPS.
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