16 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 27, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Year In Review • FEBRUARY COMPILED BY BILL PARRY
Teenager drowns in Forest Park pond
A Glendale boy died aft er being pulled from an ice-covered pond in Forest Park.
Authorities identifi ed the victim as Anthony Perez, 11, of 88th Lane who was with
another boy at Strack Pond in Forest Park when the incident took place. According
to fi re offi cials, the FDNY responded to a call of a person that had fallen into Strack
Pond, in the vicinity of Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive, at approximately
4:05 p.m. on Feb. 6. Fire offi cials said that there were two children involved.
One of them called for help but it was not yet known if that child also fell into the
water. Th e other child fell into the water, was rescued and provided medical attention
at the scene. Paramedics then rushed the victim to Jamaica Hospital in serious
condition. Two fi refi ghters are also being treated for hypothermia, fi re offi cials said.
N train work puts business
owners through hell
Konstantinos Platis has been running Tastee Corner, a 24-hour diner in Astoria, for
22 years. Th e business has allowed the Greek immigrant to send three kids to college,
but for the fi rst time in more than two decades, Platis said he is struggling to survive.
Th e reason for this struggle was the closure of the 30th Avenue N/W train stop, which is
located right outside of his shop at 30-20 30th Ave. His location next to the train used to
be one of the main reasons for his diner’s success; now, the location is a source of worry
and grief. Th e 30th Avenue station offi cially shut down in October 2017, and work on
the $150 million project was completed in June. But Platis and other business owners
Th e Courier spoke to said the agency did not give enough notice, resulting in a signifi -
cant drop in business, staff layoff s and other issues with no solutions.
Georgia Diner moves down the block
A favorite dining spot along Queens Boulevard is closed its doors aft er 40 years of
serving the Elmhurst community, but its tradition lives on just a few blocks away.
Georgia Diner, founded in 1978, closed at its original location on March 25 and
merged with the Nevada Diner, less than half a mile away on Queens Boulevard. John
Singh, a manager at both diners (owned by the same entrepreneur, Jimmy Kaloidis),
said that the Georgia Diner will bring its famous name and most of its staff to the
new location, but not much else will change. Singh explained that Kaloidis recently
decided to sell the building the Georgia Diner has occupied for decades. Aft er selling
part of the parking lot to a developer three years ago, Kaloidis was recently off ered
a price for the entire property by the same developer and decided to capitalize on it,
Singh said. City records show that the diner was sold for $14.25 million.
MegaMillions madness in Flushing
Flushing was abuzz in February when Th e New York Lottery announced that a second
prize Mega Millions ticket for the Feb. 13 drawing was sold at a neighborhood
convenience store. Th e ticket, which was worth $1,000,000, was sold at Mitul Quick
Stop Inc., located at 60-08 Main St. Meanwhile, a chef in Flushing also found luck
aft er buying a scratch-off from a local shop. Two months later, 46-year-old Zhao Liu,
a chef and resident of Flushing, came forward as the winner. Liu bought a $7,000,000
Cash Blowout scratch-off game at the shop. Liu had been playing this game for quite
some time, hoping to win a big prize. Liu received his $7,000,000 prize as a one-time
lump-sum payment. Aft er required withholdings he will receive a net check totaling
$4,431,280.
/WWW.QNS.COM
