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Plenty for Queens to be excited about in 2019
BY TIMESLEDGER STAFF
As we break in the new year,
let’s take a look at some of the
big stories to watch in Queens
in 2019.
The city’s location of
homeless shelters around the
borough continues to be a sore
spot for Queens residents,
with particular flashpoints in
College Point and Glendale.
The Karina Vetrano murder
case will be retried beginning
Jan. 22 after Queens Supreme
Court Justice Michael Aloise
stunned courtwatchers by
declaring a hung jury after
just 13 hours of deliberation
in November. Chanel Lewis,
a 22-year-old Brooklyn man,
stands accused of killing the
Howard Beach jogger during a
brutal assault in Spring Creek
Park in August 2016, not far
from Vetrano’s Howard Beach
home. If convicted, Lewis
faces life in prison.
Straphangers will be facing
a transit nightmare in April
when the 15-month shutdown
of L train service begins for
repairs to the Hurricane Sandydamaged
Canarsie Tunnel.
Several subway lines in western
Queens will feel the brunt,
especially the beleaguered No. 7
subway line.
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz will spend much of
the year gearing up for Census
2020 which she says is crucial
to the future of the borough.
Her former deputy borough
president, Melva Miller, stepped
down earlier this month to
become the new executive vice
president of the Association for
a Better New York, a nonprofit
civic organization that is
working to make sure that as
many New Yorkers as possible
are counted during the census.
Of course, Amazon’s planned
HQ2 campus in Long Island City
will be a top story in the year to
come and many years after that.
The City Council held the first
of three oversight hearings into
the deal that was struck by the
state and city which provides
nearly $3 billion in tax cuts
and subsidies in return for the
promise of 25,000 jobs over the
next ten years with the potential
to expand to 40,000 jobs over the
next 15 years.
Jan. 1 marked the start of
new terms in government for
statewide offices. Incoming
Attorney General Letitia James,
the first African-American
woman to hold statewide office
is among the several newly
elected officials to take office.
In Queens, there are many
new Assembly members and
state Senators assuming office,
including State Sens. John Liu
of the 11th District (northeast
Queens), Jessica Ramos of
the 13th District (Corona,
Elmhurst, Jackson Heights
and Woodside), along with state
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz
QUEENS KIDS ‘REMAKE THE HOLIDAYS’
Children and their families make creations out of recyclable materials at the New York Hall of
Science ‘Remake the Holidays’ event. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
of the 39th District (Corona,
Elmhurst and Jackson Heights),
who is the first DREAMer to hold
public office in New York state.
Beyond politics, there are
plenty of other notable dates
ahead for Queens.
February: Thousands of
Asian residents across Queens
will celebrate the arrival of the
Year of the Pig — the 12th in
the 12-year zodiac cycle — at
the Lunar New Year Parade in
Flusing.
March: Queens plays host to
three spectacular St. Patrick’s
Day Parades in March.
April: Baseball fans
across Queens are already
gearing up for the start of the
2019 season, but they’ll have
to wait a few more weeks
before seeing the Mets open
their season at Citi Field.
May: Be sure to take the
family to one of the many
Memorial Day parades held
across the borough.
June: The colors of the
rainbow will fly through
Jackson Heights on June 2,
during the Queens Pride Parade
and Festival.
July: Astoria and Bayside
play hosts to fireworks shows
in the days leading up to
Independence Day, July 4.
August: Aug. 3-4 marks the
return of the Hong Kong Dragon
Boat Festival at Flushing
Meadows Corona Park.
September: Queens will
again pause on Sept. 11 to mark
the anniversary of the terrorist
attacks that occurred 18 years
ago at the World Trade Center,
the Pentagon and on board
United Airlines Flight 93.
October: The streets of
Queens will host numerous
Halloween parades in the days
leading up to All Hallows Eve.
November: Election Day
is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and there
are two key races in Queens to
watch all year long — one for
Queens district attorney and
one for public advocate.
December: Queens will
once again celebrate the holiday
season with tree and menorah
lightings planned throughout
the borough.
From our entire staff, have a
happy, healthy, prosperous and
peaceful new year!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
DA questions push to legalize recreational marijuana ......... 4
Does Fair Fares program reach those who need it? ............. 5
Photos from Bayside’s past .................................................. 8
Recycle your Christmas trees at Mulchfest ......................... 12
Kick off 2019 in style .......................................................... 28
High School Sports Photos ............................................ 32-33
Vol. 7 No. 1 40 total pages
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