30 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 28, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
year in review
SEPTEMBER
Flushing bus crash leaves three dead
Th ree people were killed and 16
well above the speed limit and blew
others were injured when a tour bus
a red light when the bus struck the rear
smashed into an MTA bus at the corner
of the MTA bus. Th e force of the impact
of Main Street and Northern Boulevard
was so violent that it spun the MTA bus
in Flushing on the morning of Sept. 18.
around. In the weeks aft er the crash, local
Investigators determined that the tour
elected offi cials called for various reforms
bus's operator -- Raymond Mong, who
in the charter bus industry designed to
was one of the three fatalities -- was traveling
keep bad operators off the streets.
Bike lane opponents & supporters clash
One local lawmaker’s protest over the construction of new bike lanes along
Northern Boulevard in Bayside and Douglaston took a turn when a group of
counter-protesters showed up to off er their very vocal support of the plan. State
Senator Tony Avella organized the rally outside of the Alley Pond Golf Center on
Sept. 18 to give him and others the opportunity to blast the NYC Department of
Transportation’s (DOT) upcoming implementation of a bike lane along Northern
Boulevard. But the rally also drew the attention of about two dozen individuals from
Transportation Alternatives. Ben Turner, Transportation Committee co-chairperson,
told reporters that the board gave DOT clearance to implement the plan with
their original vote and said that the bike lane is only part of the larger plan to make
Northern Boulevard safer for all — including motorists.
Queens rallies to help hurricane victims
Aft er three major hurricanes -- Harvey,
Irma and Maria -- rocked the Caribbean
and the southeastern United States,
Queens residents came together to help
those in the storm-stricken areas. In the
months that followed, Queens paid particular
attention to victims of Hurricane
Maria in Puerto Rico, aft er the entire
island was ravaged by the storm. Local
hospitals sent entire teams of physicians
and other personnel there to provide
much needed care. As the calendar
turns to 2018, it fi gures that Queens residents
will continue providing relief to
the island commonwealth as the painfully
slow recovery continues.
Shakeup at the Queens County GOP
Th e Queens County Republican Party had another leadership shakeup, as former
Congressman Robert Turner was booted in favor of Howard Beach District Leader
Joann Ariola. Th e party shook things up even further at its Sept. 28 meeting when it
nominated Robert Holden -- a long-time Democrat who had recently lost a primary
to City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley -- as Crowley’s Republican challenger in
the November general election. Gaining the Republican ticket would prove advantageous
for Holden on Election Day.