26 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 28, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
year in review
JULY
The ‘Summer of Hell’
(that really wasn’t so bad)
At the start of July, Queens commuters
hoped for the best -- and prepared for
the worst -- as two major train infrastructure
projects got underway. Track repairs
at Penn Station forced the Long Island
Rail Road to cut service, divert trains to
other points and launch alternate bus and
ferry service to keep commuters moving.
Th e M line in Ridgewood and Bushwick
was also closed for two whole months
as workers rebuilt a bridge; shuttle bus
service was provided. Despite Governor
Andrew Cuomo’s warning that it would
be “Th e Summer of Hell” for commuters,
the disruptions turned out not to be
as severe as predicted. Even so, as 2018
dawns, more track work at Penn Station
is planned, and the M line remains closed
in Bushwick, Brooklyn through April as
repairs continue.
Wedding night ends with deadly Grand
Central pileup
On their way home aft er celebrating a wedding, an alleged drunk driver from New
Jersey drove two of his acquaintances to their deaths in a four-vehicle pileup on the
Grand Central Parkway in Jamaica on July 17. Prosecutors said that New Jersey’s
Andrew Shakespeare was driving several of his friends home from a wedding, but
had consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel. Shakespeare’s vehicle was
moving at a high rate of speed westbound on the parkway when it sideswiped a vehicle,
swerved across the lanes, slammed into a guardrail and fl ipped over on the eastbound
side. Th e wreck killed two of his friends: Layon Campbell, 34, and Akeam
Grant, 16. Shakespeare was charged with manslaughter, drunk driving and other
charges.
Glendale plaza fi nally reopened
After many months of construction
and related traffic and parking
problems, the city finally wrapped
up the construction of a new public
plaza in Glendale. The corner of
Myrtle and Cooper avenues, adjacent
to the Glendale Memorial Triangle,
was transformed into 5,300 feet of new
pedestrian space perfect for various
outdoor events.
Southeast Queens to get a new precinct
Aft er 40 years of appeals from local residents, the city agreed to create the 116th
Precinct serving the southeast Queens neighborhoods of Rosedale, Laurelton and
Springfi eld Gardens. Th e neighborhoods are currently part of the 105th Precinct,
which is based in Queens Village. Th e new precinct will be based out of the existing
105th Precinct satellite offi ce on North Conduit Avenue in Rosedale. Police
Commissioner James O’Neill said the new 116th Precinct is “a few years away” from
becoming operational.