22 THE QUEENS COURIER • YEAR IN REVIEW • DECEMBER 26, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
year in review
The top stories from June 2019
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
DA PRIMARY RECAP
Aft er Tiff any Cabán came away from the night of the
Democratic Primary for Queens District Attorney with
a 1,100-vote lead over Borough President Melinda Katz,
the CUNY Graduate Center printed a series of images
showing which election districts that went heavy for the
insurgent Democratic Socialist.
While it initially clear that Long Island City and Astoria
districts were instrumental to boosting Cabán’s initial
lead, but the images also showed that she posed a surprise
challenge to Katz in the borough president’s own
turf: Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.
Th e images show what ultimately delivered Katz her
election victory. She dominated in the southeast. But they
also show where Judge Gregory Lasak was able to sway
majorities in traditional conservative strongholds across
Queens in the northeast, Howard Beach and the western
Rockaway Peninsula.
FLUSHING MAN WINS
$5,000,000 ON ‘SET FOR LIFE’
SCRATCHOFF TICKET
In June, a Flushing man became set for life.
Jason Pae, 27, won the guaranteed $5,000,000 jackpot
prize on the popular “Set for Life” scratch-off ticket. He
purchased his ticket in Flushing while on his way home
from work.
“I was on my way home from work and stopped at the
deli for some Gatorade,” said Pae. “I scratched the ticket
in the store and my fi rst thought was ‘Wow!’”
Pae is the 50th person to claim a prize totaling
$1,000,000 or more this year, according to the New York
Lottery. Pae chose to receive his prize money in annual
installments of $260,000 before withholdings and will
receive a net check totaling $164,590 annually for the rest
of his life.
As for what he’s going to do with his newfound wealth?
Pae said that he was going to fl y to Korea to visit his family
and start his own business.
PUBLIC DEFENDER CABÁN TOUTS
APPARENT VICTORY IN QUEENS
DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRIMARY
On June 25, it looked like Queens was going to get a
31-year-old queer Latina public defender as its next dsitrict
attorney.
At the end of the primary night, Tiff any Cabán was up
about 1,100 votes on Queens Borough President Melinda
Tiff any Cabán celebrates her 1,100-vote lead after the Democratic primary for Queens District Attorney.
Katz, who declined to concede and instead opting to wait
until all the paper ballots are counted.
Th e majority of the precincts had reported 39.6 of
votes in favor as Cabán celebrated with a mass of supporters,
including prominent elected offi cials, at LaBoom
in Woodside.
”We built a campaign that said every community
deserves justice,” Cabán said in front of her crowd of supporters.
“We did it, y’all.”
To onlookers, it looked like Cabán had replicated the
2018 victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is still reverberating
through Queens with no example more clear
than Tiff any Cabán prevailing at the polls in Tuesday’s
primary for district attorney.
It would not be until two weeks later, when all the paper
and absentee ballots had been counted, that Melinda Katz
would emerge as the likely primary winner. And it was
not until the end of July that the Board of Elections would
fi nish a complete recount that fi nally determined Katz
won by 60 votes.
REGO PARK’S SHALIMAR DINER
SPARED THE WRECKING BALL,
WILL BE MOVED TO LONG ISLAND
WITH ASSIST FROM A 1986 MET
It looked as if the beloved Shalimar Diner in Rego Park
had permanently closed its doors last year aft er 45 years
when the property and an adjoining lot were sold in a
$6.5 million all-cash deal with developers.
Th at is before former New York Mets Lenny “Nails”
Dykstra joined team hoping to grant the shuttered
Shalimar Diner in Rego Park location in Long Island in
June.
In April, Rego Forest Preservation Council founder
and chairman Michael Perlman launched an eff ort to
fi nd a taker for the classic structure for zero dollars and
move it to a new location before the wrecking ball arrives.
Dykstra, the star outfi elder on the 1986 World
Photo: Mark Hallum/QNS
Champion Mets squad, joined forces with Manhattan
attorney Ronald Hariri and Perlman to relocate the
Shalimar Diner to Riverhead, Long Island, where it will
likely reopen as a brewery and diner.
“Th ese places are cultural cornerstones of the neighborhood
but they’ve become an endangered species,”
Perlman said. “It’s really sad and disheartening now how
much land costs around here. Th e structure is prefabricated
and manufactured to be easy to move.”
Courtesy of Michael Perlman
CUNY Mapping Service
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