Queens Chronicle 06-04-26

STANDING TOGETHER

Super speeder bill is signed into law

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Starting next year, chronic speeders in New York City can be compelled to install devices that automatically will cap their cars’ velocity.

Long-sought “super speeder” legislation was included in the $268.5 billion state budget signed into law by Gov. Hochul on May 27 [see separate stories in some editions or at qchron.com].

The law will allow the city to require car owners who are persistent offenders to install an electronic Intelligent Speed Assistance device that caps an automobile’s speed at the posted speed limit.

It can be required when a driver picks up 16 tickets from either speed or red light cameras over a 12-month span. The device works with GPS information and the car’s computer system.

The law will go into effect May 27, 2027, the one-year anniversary of Hochul’s signature.

The measure had a great deal of support.

Darnell Sealy-McCrorey and Amber Adler, members of Families for Safe Streets, applauded its passage.

“We can tell you firsthand: speeding kills,” they said in a press release. “As a father who lost his daughter to a speeding driver and a mother who was in a traffic crash with her sons, we feel incredible relief that this bill will

become law. We know this bill will protect children in all five boroughs.

“We are grateful to every single member of Families for Safe Streets for their tireless advocacy, as well as our partners in government. Together we will continue the fight for safe streets, so no New Yorker has to know our unimaginable pain.”

First-time offenders will be required to have the devices installed for a minimum of one year. The installation cost is estimated to be $150, plus a $4 per day subscription fee. Payment plans and in some cases waivers may be available based on income level. The city will have a list of qualified installers.

Drivers who fail to install the device within 45 days or who attempt to tamper with it face fines, lengthened installation or revoked registration.

Repeat offenders can have installation mandated for up to three years.

“Today marks a monumental change in the history of New York City: no longer will we ignore the threat posed by our city’s most reckless drivers,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “Finally, we will slow down the drivers who have been repeatedly terrorizing our neighborhoods.”

Furnas also thanked city officials for their efforts.

The summary on Hochul’s official website

said the technology has been tested on 7,000 vehicles in the city’s fleet. It also said that based on the results in the city, New York will explore the possibility of allowing other communities to opt in to ISA programs.

The American Automobile Association, a leading advocate for drivers, also supported passage.

“Requiring habitual speeders to install ISA systems in their cars cuts the problem off at the source,” said Robert Sinclair Jr. of AAA Northeast in a press release from the agency. “We’re looking forward to working with New York City officials to make sure the program works as effectively as possible to deter dangerous driving behavior and save lives.”

AAA said speeding is one of the biggest causes of death and injury on roads in New York City, and that “a small number of habitually dangerous drivers cause a disproportionate amount of crashes.” Approximately 4 percent of American drivers say they “regularly” drive 15 mph faster than the normal flow of traffic, according to a survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The ISA devices, AAA said, offer a direct solution by using mapping data to actively prevent a vehicle from exceeding posted speed limits. In a nationwide AAA Foundation survey, 69 percent of respondents supported the policy. Q

Sister Francis Marie Wystepek reflects on her decades of service Longtime Divine Mercy principal set to retire

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

Sister Francis Marie Wystepek is retiring from Divine Mercy Catholic Academy this summer, closing a chapter that has shaped generations of students, families and faculty.

Wystepek became a teacher in 1979 and later served as principal at St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Ozone Park.

When St. Stan’s merged with Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary in 2007 to form DMCA, also in Ozone Park, she was chosen to be the principal.

Over the years, parents, students and colleagues have come to see Wystepek as a strong, devoted, educational and spiritual leader. But when she first entered the classroom to teach, Wystepek did not envision herself leading a school.

Reflecting on some of the most difficult moments of her tenure, Wystepek pointed to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic as times when faith was not just a comfort but a necessity.

Asked what stands out as the most rewarding part of being principal, she did not hesitate.

“Always the graduations,” Wystepek said.

“To see the eighth-graders moving on to high school, knowing what they’ve accomplished in their years. Some of them we’ve known for 11 years, if they were in pre-K. But that’s always one of the happiest days. ... The students have always brought times of great joy.”

“The students have always brought times of great joy.”

“I don’t know if I ever even thought when I was younger about being a principal,” Wystepek told the Chronicle. “That just kind of happened.”

— Sister Francis Marie Wystepek

Throughout her time working in Catholic education, Wystepek has relied on her faith. Across national crises, challenges and everyday decisions, the outgoing principal said she has drawn strength from prayer and trust in God.

She said the kids’ openness and capacity for friendship have deepened her understanding of the Gospel’s call to childlike faith.

“Jesus said we should be like these little children, so the idea of being childlike, open to change, open to surprise, open to just being friends with everyone — not childish, childlike,” she said. “To accept things as they come along, and accept each other.”

Her hopes for her legacy are rooted in the mission of Catholic education: to form hearts as well as minds.

“I hope the students who have graduated

will turn out to be good, faithful Catholics or Christians, and good people,” Wystepek said. “That they’ll be good citizens of the country, and really, just that they would be aware of the needs of others, and of course, that they accomplish that what they can in life, as long as they work to the best of their abilities, and take pride in themselves and what they do.”

To honor Wystepek’s decades of service, the community will gather for a special celebration on June 20.

Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at 105-41 91 St. in Ozone Park. A luncheon will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Villa Russo, at 101-12 Lefferts Blvd. in Richmond Hill.

Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP at divinemercyca.org/srfrancis or call (718) 845-3074 for more information.

As her retirement approaches, Wystepek faces a bittersweet goodbye.

“I’ll miss the children, and I’ll miss my faculty and staff,” she said, adding that she’ll miss the camaraderie with parents. “I tease and say I have my grandchildren now, because I’ve had [the kids’] parents in school, and I’ve had some of them in my school as teachers.”

Her connection to the school, however, will not be entirely severed.

“As far as my retirement, I hope to remain partially helping out where I can in school, and being able to spend more time in my religious life and my prayer life,” she said. Q

Dominick Pepe, membership chair of American Legion Post 118, lauded State Senate honors a dedicated veteran

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

Dominick Pepe, the post adjutant and membership chairman for Woodhaven’s American Legion Post 118, was inducted into the state Senate Veterans Hall of Fame on May 27, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) announced Monday.

“Dominick Pepe exemplifies the meaning of service, sacrifice and commitment,” Addabbo said. “For three decades, he answered the call to serve our country across multiple branches and assignments, and today he continues that same dedication through his tireless work supporting veterans throughout the district and Queens. It is a privilege to recognize him as a member of the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame.”

Pepe was a cadet in the Sea Scouts, where he attained the rank of chief petty officer, Addabbo’s office said. In 1968, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and later earned a 72B Military Occupational Specialty designation.

Following his training, Pepe served with the Southern European Task Force command and the 560th Tactical Communication Company in Italy.

After a break in service, Pepe joined the Air National Guard, serving five years in a Long Island communications unit. He then became a member of the Army National Guard as a finance specialist before joining the Army Reserve as a combat arms instructor in New Jersey.

Pepe’s final military assignment was with the 72nd Regional Support Command at Fort Totten. He earned an 11B MOS designation and helped train personnel in basic combat.

After 30 years of military service, Pepe retired honorably from the United States Army with the rank of sergeant first class.

Pepe received numerous honors and commendations throughout his military career, including the National Defense Service Medal, Expert Marksmanship Tab, Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, NCO Development Medal, Army Reserve Achievement Medal and the Air Force Longevity Service Award.

Pepe also serves as the American Legion Queens County adjutant and District 10 chaplain, continuing his lifelong commitment to service.

“Dominick Pepe’s life is a testament to patriotism, leadership and unwavering support for veterans and community members alike,” Addabbo, who inducted the veteran into the Hall of Fame, said.

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Community takes strides for inclusion

Despite powerful winds in Richmond Hill on May 30, hundreds of residents attended the annual Autism and Developmental Disability Walk and Resource Fair held at Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto Park.

Hosted by Community Board 9 and state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. and spearheaded by CB 9 Chair Sherry Algredo, the event brought the community together for an afternoon of conversation and connection. Participants circled the park and visited resource tables to learn about services available to individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Also among those in attendance were Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, Councilmember Lynn Schulman and Anthony Lemma, representing Assemblymember David Weprin.

The event highlighted both the challenges faced by those living with developmental disabil-

ities and the importance of building a more supportive community.

“Autism is a diverse umbrella term, and every individual with autism is different,” Addabbo said in a statement ahead of the event. “They remind us of our collective obligation to care for one another. That’s important work. This event also serves to highlight more general developmental disabilities that affect countless lives in Queens and beyond. We should bring about real change.”

For Algredo, whose son Joseph has autism, the event’s turnout, the largest in its four years, was a powerful reminder of the community’s commitment to the cause and the need for awareness.

“I’m proud that people care so much about autism and other developmental disabilities,” Algredo told the Chronicle, thanking the countless volunteers who helped. “It truly takes a village.” — Kristen Guglielmo

State makes investments in ed Foundation aid, tuition

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

The state’s $268.5 billion budget includes $39.6 billion in school funding, including $1 billion in foundation aid and $563 million in universal pre-kindergarten aid. Gov. Hochul’s office, in a May 28 press release, called the allocations a historic investment in higher education and K-12 schools.

The budget updates the state’s education funding formula to increase allotments to school districts educating students who are English language learners, homeless or in foster care, the Governor’s Office said, and to ensure that each district receives at least a 2 percent annual increase. The state allocated $779 million to foundation aid, bringing its total funding for the year to $27.1 billion.

freeze part of $39.6 billion allocation

facilities aid; $240 million to reimburse nonpublic schools’ costs for state-mandated activities; and $395 million to support universal free school meals.

The budget also includes a two-year extension of mayoral control of schools without any changes to the policy. It will expire in June 2028.

“Every New Yorker ... deserves a worldclass education.”

The allocations for higher education include $90 million toward a tuition freeze for resident undergraduate students at SUNY state-operated campuses and CUNY senior colleges, and Hochul said she is providing additional operating aid to those institutions.

— Gov. Hochul

Albany also will provide $9 million to be used toward partnerships between high-need school districts and tutoring providers to ensure high-quality, individualized tutoring to students who need the boost.

Other K-12 education investments include $195 million for charter school supplemental tuition and $177 million for charter school

CUNY and SUNY schools will build on their internship and experimental programs, the Governor’s Office said, by integrating career counseling with academic advising to provide clear career maps for every major through the New York Career Connect initiative, a $16.9 million investment. The institutions will also work to expand paid opportunities with local businesses and public service placements.

The state is also expanding SUNY and CUNY Reconnect, a program that provides

adult learners with the option to attend community college for free if they pursue a degree in a high-demand field such as healthcare, cybersecurity or advanced manufacturing, the Governor’s Office said. The expansion comes with a $12.5 million price tag.

To address challenges in teacher recruitment, the state has invested $2 million to create an accelerated teacher preparation pathway for career changers and other interested individuals. The budget also provides $2 million for programs to allow high school students interested in entering the teaching profession to earn college credit in relevant subjects.

“As New York’s first mom Governor, I understand how important access to a quality, affordable education can be for parents in deciding where to raise their families,” Hochul said in a statement. “Every New Yorker, from pre-K to college, deserves a world-class education fit for the twenty-first century — that’s why we’re continuing our historic investments statewide so parents, teachers, and students can rest assured that New York is the best possible place to learn and grow.” Q

Blood donors urgently sought

The New York Blood Center is calling on donors of all blood types to contribute as the region faces the start of the summer trauma season, which it called one of the most difficult and critical times of year for maintaining the blood supply.

Donations are down nearly 15 percent in the region, per the NYBC, meaning there are about 4,500 fewer than needed to meet hospital demand. To make an appointment, one may visit nybc.org. There are several upcoming blood drives in South Queens:

• Richmond Hill South Ozone Park Lions Club, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, in a busmobile at 120-01 Liberty Ave. in South Richmond Hill; blood drive coordinator Amanda Sancler; •United Sikhs-Queens, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 14, at 95-30 118 St. in South Richmond Hill; blood drive coordinator Inderjeet Singh; and • Knights of Columbus Council 197, 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, in the main hall of 94-04 Linden Blvd. in Ozone Park; blood drive coordinator Paul Eggert. Q — Kristen Guglielmo

Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School

Congratulates the Class of 2026 ! the Class of 2026!

Class size mandate to get an extension

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

State Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside), the chair of the Committee on NYC Education, on June 1 introduced a bill that would extend the deadlines of the state’s class size law.

Mayor Mamdani has said a delay in the mandate would save the city $500 million.

The 2022 law calls for 80 percent of city classrooms to have only 20 to 25 students by next fall, with the full mandate implemented by the 2027-28 school year.

But under Liu’s legislation, the city would need 70 percent of classes to be in compliance with the law by the 2026-27 school year, with 10 percent more in each of the next three years, giving the city until 202930 to fully meet the mandate.

The bill is expected to pass both the Senate and Assembly today, June 4, according to a Tuesday press release from Liu’s office.

“The legal timetable will be extended by two years, empowering the Mamdani administration to at long last bring all NYC class sizes down to state and national norms of teacher/student ratios,” Liu said. “This amendment to state law is respondent to clear and accountable teacher recruitment

and classroom construction plans developed by the Mamdani administration to be fulfilled within the mayor’s current term of office.”

“We did not want an extension — we want compliance,” Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, said in a statement. “But the reality is that New York City, up until now, had not done all that was needed to make this law a reality in every classroom. If giving this new administration two more years gets us a partner committed to building the necessary seats, then it is the fastest way to turn the law into reality.”

Union officials said that exemptions, which are allowed under state law, will be needed to reach a 70 percent compliance rate by September. To ensure exemptions are temporary, all parties agreed to an accountability incentive: In certain cases where the city issues an exemption, educators will be eligible for additional pay. Further details were not provided.

Mulgrew said the union hopes the differential will be an incentive “to do the recruitment, hiring, and construction needed to fulfill the law.” Q

PS 207 gives a $6,000 boost

Kids on the student council of Howard Beach’s PS/MS 207, the Rockwood Park School, continued their streak of generosity on June 1 at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of New Hyde Park.

The students visited the organization, located next to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, to bake for the families there and present the nonprofit with a check.

The council has been fundraising over the past few years, according to school

social worker Melissa Meric, to help students understand the value of community volunteer work and giving back to those who are less fortunate.

Those years of hard work and fundraising enabled the student council to make a $6,000 donation to the charity.

“We are very pleased to make our first donation and to have the opportunity to learn about the facilities during this field trip,” Meric said. — Kristen Guglielmo

ST. EDMUND PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL BOLD LEARNING.

UNCOMMON LEADERS.

Members of the Class of 2026 have been awarded over $30 million in scholarships and have been accepted to over 240 colleges.

Auburn University

Binghamton University

Boston College

Boston University

Columbia University

Florida State University

Fordham University

High Point University

Howard University

Indiana University

Iona University

Long Island University

Loyola University Maryland

Manhattan University

Michigan State University

New York University

Northeastern University

Penn State University

Providence College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Madison Daughtry

Valedictorian attending Boston College

Russell Zehmisch

Salutatorian attending the University of Indiana

Rochester Institute of Technology

Sacred Heart University

Saint Joseph’s University

Seton Hall University

St. Francis College

St. John’s University

St. Joseph’s University

Stevens Institute of Technology

Syracuse University

Temple University

Texas A&M University

The Catholic University of America

The Ohio State University at Columbus

University of Scranton

United States Military Academy

University at Albany

University of California, Davis

University of Connecticut

University of Kentucky

Virginia Tech

EDITORIAL AGEP

Crack down on illegal micromobility vehicles now

It’s insane that you can buy a motorized skateboard with handlebars that goes so fast you could get a ticket on the Van Wyck Expressway. Yet it’s true.

Of course, you’re not allowed to take a scooter that goes 53 mph onto the Van Wyck. You’re not supposed to ride it on any highway, street, bike lane or sidewalk in the city — yet p eople do. And, according to police, two men died last Thursday on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge as a result.

No one knows how fast a 39-year-old man from New Jersey was going when, police say, he veered from the Manhattan-bound bike lane on the bridge into the Queensbound lane. What we do know is that the collision killed cyclist Dmytro Stechenko, 35, of Long Island City, as well as the scooter rider. Stechenko’s bicycle was broken in half.

We also know that the scooter, a Teverun Blade GT II, is capable of going 53 mph. The company that makes it boasts of how fast it is all over its website. “Super speed,” one page on the site reads. “Built to match the freeway.”

The page speaks of the scooter’s “untamed performance,” “explosive acceleration” and “thrilling speed,” saying the Blade GT II is “like a wolf in a tailored suit, poised to strike.” More like a jerk on a souped-up skateboard, poised

to appear suddenly right in front of you, maybe kill you.

We all see people riding stand-up scooters like utter lunatics. As pedestrians, we worry they’ll run into us and injure us. As drivers we worry they’ll run into us and injure themselves. And now we see a tragic case in which a scooter was involved in two deaths. Police said the rider was passing slower traffic when he went into the oncoming lane.

The cycling community is naturally distraught over the crash, which should be treated as a seminal event. Let’s start with a no-holds-barred crackdown on all illegal micromobility vehicles. That includes e-scooters that go over 20 mph.

But how can you tell which do? You can tell with a machine that tests them, used in some other jurisdictions plagued by these machines, which the police here could buy ... tomorrow. Why not? The city seems to announce a new spending program every day; here’s one almost everybody would support. Seize suspect scooters, test them, return the ones that turn out to be legal and either crush or sell the rest to people in some distant state where they might be OK.

Credit goes to our car-hating friends at Streetsblog for their excellent reporting on the crash, the model of scooter involved and the use of speed testers elsewhere. In fact, after

Streetsblog’s story on the scooter came out, Teverun added a disclaimer on its website saying people should only go fast where allowed and should follow the law. Sure.

The crash can also be tied to the lax approach officials have taken to micromobility, which is heralded as a wonderful, modern, environmentally conscious alternative to cars. (Maybe so, but if a fast scooter hits you in your SUV, you likely will not be injured, certainly not killed.) While certain elements have resisted any law enforcement efforts against illegal scooters and mopeds, in part to stick it to the driving community and in part to protect unauthorized immigrants from official entanglements, law-abiding citizens have long called for a crackdown. Maybe now there can be some alignment, even if it’s not quite the effort this page supports.

We support cracking down on all vehicular mayhem including via the new law to put speed limiters in certain scofflaw drivers’ cars. We’d love to see tickets to drivers for various infractions go up fivefold. We hate motorcycles with turned-up license plates no cop can read. We’re glad to see fewer fire-prone e-mopeds since the city targeted them harder a couple years ago, and we’d be glad to see fewer of these dangerous, illegal e-scooters, too. Wouldn’t you?

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Dear Editor:

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Pave park roads

Since I wrote last month about trash floating in the Fountain of the Planets at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, I have been informed that issue has been resolved (“FMCP needs work,” Letters, May 21). Let’s thank the authorities for this improvement and hope others are forthcoming.

When I walked through FMCP several times last month, I was shocked at the condition of some of the roads. Michael Anderson, a volunteer with the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, submitted at least four service requests concerning potholes. I took notes about some road conditions. I told Michael that, in my opinion, parts of some roads need to be resurfaced and parts of some need to be rebuilt from their foundations.

If the FMCP road system had been maintained better, some of these problems would not have come to this. In places the roads have deteriorated through the asphalt overlay and in places tree roots have grown and caused pavement to buckle upward. Such uneven roadways can cause joggers or walkers to fall. At night one could easily fall. As a member of several running/walking clubs I notice rough, uneven surfaces.

For instance, much of the Avenue of Progress is uneven and parts should be rebuilt. Ditto with the Avenues of Discovery and Commerce.

And let’s not forget to fill all the potholes Mr. Anderson noted.

Anthony Sama, executive director of the park alliance, recently wrote an opinion piece in City Limits saying the city has an opportunity to get the funding to pull FMCP into the 21st century. Mr. Sama wrote that the Mamdani administration should be involved in the push for funding.

I am away from Queens until September. I hope when I return I will see some good things taking place at FMCP.

Bill Pollard Jr. Avon Park, Fla.

Kids need to read stories

Dear Editor:

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

“Sesame Street” dared to believe that learning could be irresistible. It made lesson planning for a teacher more challenging but it made

lessons more joyful and dynamic.

Kristen Guglielmo’s comprehensive May 28 article “NYC Reads, Solves get an expansion” devotes most of its space to touting the new math curriculum, a valuable concept, but don’t forget reading. I’ve heard it through the grapevine that students generally aren’t given fiction to read anymore and that students generally only read excerpts from larger works whether fiction or nonfiction.

It’s sad to imagine students never getting to explore places such as Alice’s Wonderland, Aslan’s Narnia, the Upside Down or “The Castle in the Attic,” and never taking a walk with Stephen King. Our curricula abandoned the fantasies that enthralled readers. The Department of Education’s language arts course of study lacks passion.

NYC Reads touts the reintroduction of phonics but to hook a potential reader on books requires strategy and innovation, not just phonics. Students need to hear a dramatically read

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

text by a real person. They need Readers Theater scripts that dramatize literature using the words of the author and enlist the students to master the words and perform. They need a patient step-by-step introduction to the unique world of a novel. They need to be wowed by the texts they encounter in a classroom. There are chapters we need to skip but there are others we need to carefully tunnel through.

How about historic articles that report events which live on for decades and even centuries? Does anyone remember Scoop Cards? Readers are Leaders and Reading is Fun. These slogans recall earlier eras when schools faced the same dire situation. Hurray for phonics but nothing sells reading like a great story about a memorable character.

Debra Michlewitz Bayside

The writer is a retired 40-year NYC public high school English teacher.

Reveal the class size plan

Dear Editor:

(An open statement to the public)

Let’s see the city’s class size plan to confirm it’s not all smoke and mirrors. So far, all the mayor has said is that he’s thrilled he can save $500 million or more by not having to meet the original deadline in the law.

If he is getting an extension, I would hope that his administration has developed an actual multiyear plan to achieve the goals according to the new timeline and is willing to make it public as soon as possible.

At the very least, the Department of Education should have to present it before the City Council votes on the education budget and the capital plan.

Leonie Haimson Executive Director Class Size Matters Manhattan

New Alzheimer’s therapies

Dear Editor:

Due to my personal experiences with Alzheimer’s/dementia, I developed a calling to volunteer as an advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association. My mom passed away in 2024 due to complications from a stroke and dementia. I, along with my sister and nephew, now are caring for my dad, who also has dementia.

Scientific breakthroughs have changed what is possible for New Yorkers. New therapies — specifically monoclonal antibodies such as lecanemab and donanemab — can slow cognitive and functional decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association has led the fight to expand access to these FDAapproved treatments.

These treatments do not offer a cure. They offer something equally precious: time. Time for families to hold onto memories a little longer. Time for loved ones to remain independent. Time for more birthdays, conversations, and milestones together.

Ensuring equitable coverage for Alzheimer’s treatment must be a public policy priority. Here in New York, lawmakers must now ensure that state-regulated private insurers provide meaningful access to these life-changing therapies.

That is why the New York State Legislature

must pass S.9523 and A.10748 this session. This legislation would remove unnecessary barriers for New Yorkers covered by state-regulated private insurance plans by ensuring timely access to FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments and the diagnostic testing required to receive them.

New York has an opportunity — and an obligation — to lead. Lawmakers should pass S.9523 and A.10748 and ensure that every New Yorker diagnosed with Alzheimer’s has access to the care, treatment and dignity they deserve.

Jennifer Nazon Alzheimer’s Association advocate Cambria Heights

Curb scooters, motorbikes

Dear Editor:

The speed limit in NYC is 25 mph unless posted otherwise, as for school zones or highways. I have seen with dismay many of the twowheeled scooters I rode as a child, now with electric motors, going 15 to 20 mph, and the one involved in the fatal crash on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge can go almost three times as fast as that! Motorized bicycles are also using the streets with impunity.

These drivers, I believe, think of themselves as immortal. As a car driver, I can say these e-scooters are hard to see, and they scoot around cars and trucks to avoid traffic and beat lights. Heaven forbid someone should hit one of them while driving a car. They are treated as pedestrians! Most of them do not wear helmets or bright clothing. Many ignore traffic lights and breeze through them.

I think the two-wheeled e-scooters should be barred completely from public streets. From what I understand, the police impound the illegal motorized bikes and crush them. That is a good step. An additional step that might stem the accident tide would be to set up a misdemeanor charge for e-scooter and illegal motorized bike riders for endangering the public.

Alexander Glatt Woodhaven

Kill the killer-parole bill

Dear Editor:

Kudos to Richard Reif for his great letter “Bills would free killers” of May 7. As usual, Mr. Reif is spot on when covering a topic, presenting all the facts available.

We had already submitted to the Queens Chronicle an open letter to Gov. Hochul on this subject. And the fact that our own assemblyman, David Weprin, co-sponsored the Fair and Timely Parole Act, which would allow dangerous criminals out on early parole, was surprising and unacceptable. We contacted his office and still are waiting for a reply.

This issue should concern all readers, especially in an election year, because any member that supports this doesn’t deserve to be in government. Enough is enough when it comes to the safety of all new Yorkers and their families — and especially the families of violent crime victims, who relieve the tragedies at parole hearings and may never find closure.

Speak up now to stop this injustice and vote them out of office!

Thomas and Constance Dowd

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FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART

Friday, June 12th

Mass will be at 8:30AM & 6:30PM

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 9:00AM to 6:30PM

FLEA MARKET

Saturday, June 13th

Mass will be at 8:30am & 12:00pm Blessed Bread of Saint Anthony will be distributed after Mass

Anointing with the oil and Blessed with the Relic of St. Anthony

Consecration to the Sacred Heart after all Masses FE A S T O F FEAST OF S T. A N T H O NY ST. ANTHONY

Sunday, July 12th

from 10:00AM to 5:00PM

Call to Reserve your spot 718-843-6218 or email parishoffi ceolg@gmail.com

Hochul finally inks fiscal 2027 budget

Plan came nearly two months late; includes several of her key priorities

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

Gov. Hochul signed New York’s fiscal 2027 budget into law May 28, nearly two months after the April 1 deadline.

A press release from her office touts numerous investments in the roughly $268.5 billion plan, such as putting the state on the path to universal childcare, reducing utility costs and delivering energy rebate checks.

“Every proposal included in this Budget was a fight for New Yorkers and their future,” Hochul said in the release. “Working with my partners in the Legislature, we delivered an ambitious agenda that will lower costs for hardworking families, keep New Yorkers safe and create opportunity for all.”

The budget marks an increase of nearly 6 percent, about $14 billion up from the $254 billion agreement for fiscal 2026. That figure was a 7 percent jump from the $237 billion budget the year prior.

Asked about financial plan tables and forecasts for out-year deficits, a Budget Office spokesperson said those have not been published yet — the state has 30 days after the governor signs the budget to release an update to the state’s financial plan.

The spending plan was the latest one to get enacted since 2010, and it’s crunch time for legislators who want to get bills passed before the session ends today, June 4.

“We have a lot of work to do in only five days, so that’s unfortunate,” state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) told the Chronicle last Thursday, after expressing joy that the plan was being finalized.

Several lawmakers had gotten frustrated with the late budget and the process leading up to it. In a recent sitdown interview, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) referred to negotiations as “the governor’s personal session,” in which she alone decided what was discussed.

Policy talks, namely over changes to environmental laws, car insurance reform and more, had delayed the process. Addabbo said the governor “pretty much” got what she wanted on those fronts.

On car insurance, the enacted budget limits how much drivers can collect in damages if they engaged in criminal behavior at the time of an accident. What constitutes a “serious injury” also has been redefined for insurance purposes, and new safeguards are being implemented to stop insurance companies from hiking rates without state approval.

“My view is when our reforms kick in, hard-

nyside), it’s “a start,” but not enough.

“The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers are demanding that we tax the rich to invest in the working class of this state, to make our lives more affordable and more dignified,” Valdez, who voted against a portion of the budget plan over the issue, said on the Assembly floor. “Gov. Hochul answered to different New Yorkers.”

Rein said the pied-à-terre tax was “unnecessary,” and that Hochul should continue resisting calls to raise income and corporate levies.

before leaving office.

Mamdani promptly acted on that, declining to confirm the panel former Mayor Eric Adams created on his last day in office. Mamdani then formed his own “Commission on Government Efficiency,” which is set to remove “outdated bureaucratic barriers,” give the city tools to deliver programs more effectively and more.

working New Yorkers will be the beneficiaries, they’ll have lower insurance bills, instead of the insurance executives taking home bigger profits,” Hochul said of the enacted reforms.

Certain developments will be exempt from the State Environmental Quality Review Act [see separate story in some editions or at qchron.com].

Deadlines under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act also have been pushed back — regulations to slash emissions must be in place by the end of 2028, and a new 2040 target was set to cut emissions by 60 percent from 1990 levels. It had been 2030, for a 40 percent reduction.

Addabbo said the changes to the CLCPA could possibly stave off higher utility prices. The enacted budget includes $1 billion to assist more than 8 million families struggling with those costs.

To Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, those “so-called energy rebates” will provide little relief, but those dollars “could have had real impact” if targeted well.

Also enacted was a set of laws to protect New Yorkers from “aggressive federal immigration enforcement,” per the Governor’s Office. Among them are measures barring the use of state and local resources for enforcement, and letting New Yorkers file lawsuits against federal, state and local government officials for constitutional rights violations.

For the city, the plan includes $2.4 billion in aid, Rein noted, plus a pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes. Mayor Mamdani, who campaigned on raising taxes for wealthy earners and corporations, applauded the move.

To Assemblywoman Claire Valdez (D-Sun-

Celebrate America’s birthday in OZP 6/18

All are welcome to attend the Ozone Park America 250 Celebration on June 18 at Tudor Park, at 82nd Street and 133rd Avenue.

Hosted by Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) with the Ozone Tudor Civic Association, City Line Ozone Park Civilian Patrol and city Parks Department, the event will take place from 3 to 7 p.m.

Those with questions may call Ariola’s

office at (718) 738-1083.

“This is a big year for our country, and I figure what better way to celebrate than by bringing a little patriotism directly into our communities,” Ariola told the Chronicle.

“We will have games, crafts, bounce houses, music and more. It is going to be a great day in Tudor Park, and I hope to see everyone there!”

“Not holding the City accountable for shoring up its own finances sets the stage for the City to again request massive aid or tax increases next year,” he said. James Whelan, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said the tax will “dampen market activity, reduce property values, hurt new development, and weaken the City’s economy,” calling it “a relief” that lawmakers rejected other suggested tax hikes.

Addabbo said the pied-à-terre charge is a program he can accept, because its effect on his constituents is minimal compared to the broad property tax hikes floated earlier this year.

Two of his own bills made the cut — one gives property tax exemptions to disabled veterans, and the other covers the cost of treatment for problem gambling addiction through insurance. But he does think the budget could have done more to help offset federal healthcare cuts.

Also in the budget is a measure by state Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside) that lets sitting mayors choose to confirm or dissolve charter revision commissions formed by their predecessors leading up to an election and just

Runner

Ottilia Demeter’s resilience and spirit of community won her the New York Road Runners’ prestigious Miles of Impact Award.

By the track at Woodhaven’s Victory Field on Monday, TV personality Matt James and Ted Metellus of the NYRR surprised Demeter with her trophy and, literally, her flowers. The award, presented by Hospital for Special Surgery, recognizes runners who go the extra mile both in training and in life. Winners also get free entry into the New York City marathon.

After beating cervical cancer, Demeter, 55, of Elmhurst, moved to New York from Hungary in 2011 without knowing English. Running became more important to her than ever, and she started coaching to help others achieve their fullest potential. She is a coach with the Forest Park Runners and Queens Centers for Progress, and a guide for Achilles International.

Demeter ran the NYC marathon with a brain tumor in 2022, walked last year’s after being injured in a bike accident and coached others through her recovery.

“To be seen by the running community in this way ... it makes me feel like all the miles, the struggles, the coaching, organizing and showing up for people matter,” she told the Chronicle in an interview last month, saying she felt emotional even to be nominated for the award. — Stephanie G. Meditz

Included in a part of the budget signed last Wednesday are regulations on protests near houses of worship, making it a crime to act within 50 feet of such establishments in ways that make people seeking to enter fear for their safety. Deliberately interfering with someone entering or exiting also is banned.

An additional $77 million also was allocated to deploy police officers in the subway system and target areas with the greatest need.

For City Councilman Phil Wong (D-Maspeth) the approved plan “adds nothing” to rainy-day reserves, worsens “an already massive structural deficit” and “kicks the can down the road.”

“New Yorkers deserve a government that plans responsibly for the future instead of spending every dollar today and hoping someone else cleans up the mess tomorrow,” Wong said in a statement.

While Rein said the budget includes meaningful policy wins, it also “squanders the opportunity to shore up the State’s fiscal foundation.” He also decried that “basic financial plan tables” did not accompany the agreement.

“New Yorkers should not have to wait up to a month to learn how their $268 billion is being spent,” Rein said. Q

No middle ground on SEQRA changes

Housing advocates cheer Hochul’s plan; critics, environmentalists don’t

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Gov. Hochul, as expected, signed sweeping changes last week to state environmental reviews for many residential and nonresidential development projects throughout the state.

Hochul said “generational reforms” to the State Environmental Quality Review Act of 1975 will cut massive amounts of red tape that delay housing production by years and jack up costs significantly.

Opponents say the new rules gut environmental review and relieve developers of accountability when things go wrong afterward.

The changes took effect immediately.

Hochul, in a press release, said her “Let them Build” agenda will expedite projects that meet criteria that ensure they have no significant environmental impacts.

“Red tape and duplicative reviews have stopped New York from doing the very building that made us the envy of the world, making our housing more expensive and our infrastructure outdated — that ends today,” Hochul said. “By removing these barriers and empowering communities across the state, we are working to drive down costs of critical housing and infrastructure and sending a simple message: now is the time to build.”

Housing and infrastructure projects can take as much as 56 percent longer in New York

Queens land use expert Paul Graziano, shown protesting City of Yes in 2024, is just as opposed to changes made to the State Environmental Quality Review Act

State to get from concept to groundbreaking compared to peer states,” she said.

Projects now exempted from “duplicative environmental review” in New York City include those up to 250 units citywide and up to 500 units within medium- and high-density areas. At the low end are some rural areas of the state where the cap is 100 units.

Paul Graziano, a Flushing-based land-use

Chronicle. “Forget across the city — across the state.”

He said the 500- and 250-unit caps in the five boroughs “essentially will remove environmental assessments from 99.9 percent of any developments in the city.”

He said with no significant studies done, there is no accountability for developers should problems manifest themselves years into the future.

“It’s about future problems, whether you’re talking environmental problems, accounting for climate change, flooding, increased needs for infrastructure and services,” Graziano said. “All that goes out the window.”

In many cases, he said, it could leave city taxpayers holding the bag for fixing things.

“And imagine a rural community upstate where someone comes in and says, “I want to build 99 units,” he said.

expert, told the Chronicle the changes just exacerbate attacks on zoning regulations that began with City of Yes zoning laws and last year’s city ballot referendum questions that virtually eliminated local input over property use decisions.

“The immediate impact is that it’s going to open up the floodgates to more and more inappropriate development,” Graziano told the

But Tom Wright, president and CEO of the Regional Plan Association, said in a press release that SEQRA reform is an important step toward addressing New York’s housing shortage.

“Once implemented, these changes will reduce unnecessary delays and advance a more sustainable and affordable future for New York,” Wright said.

He said the old rules let a single opponent tie

continued on page 14

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Reynoso: A ‘radical’ leader with ‘receipts’

Affordability,

housing and more would be his top priorities if elected to NY-7

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said he hopes to be the most progressive, results-driven congressman in the country, as he runs for New York’s 7th District.

Reynoso, 43, is a father of two sons, aged 8 and 5. He grew up a “poor kid” on the south side of Williamsburg, and said his policies, including his support for universal healthcare, are informed by his own lived experiences.

He’s also been around the block as an elected official — he’s been BP for four and a half years, and before that, he represented Ridgewood and parts of Brooklyn in the City Council for eight.

“when nobody thought police reform was of value.” He also led the Sanitation & Solid Waste Management Committee, and his 2018 Waste Equity Law helped reduce waste processing capacity in North Brooklyn, the South Bronx and Southeast Queens by more than 10,000 tons.

“I just really feel like the American people are tired of talking heads and performative politics, and want people to get into the federal government and do something for them, actually work for them,” Reynoso told the Chronicle in a sitdown interview June 2.

In his first year as BP, he invested every dollar of his fiscal 2023 capital funding to just one issue — maternal health for Black women, whom he said die for pregnancyrelated reasons at eight times the rate of their white counterparts.

He put the $45 million toward maternal healthcare improvements at Brooklyn’s three public hospitals, to make the borough “the safest place for Black women to have babies” within his tenure. He said Borough Hall was largely a “performative office” with plenty of parties and flag raisings, but he prides himself on effecting meaningful change.

“I want to stop all this madness that we’re seeing about a bunch of people just throwing press conferences but getting nothing done,” he said.

Reynoso described himself as a “progressive leader” in city politics — his involvement started with founding the New Kings Democrats to fight against Brooklyn’s “corrupt” county party organization.

In the Council, he co-chaired the Progressive Caucus, and effected police reform

At the top of Reynoso’s agenda in Congress would be housing — he wants to see the repeal of the Faircloth Amendment, which would let more public housing be built, and calls for a “lockbox” maintenance budget for New York City Housing Authority developments. He said Section 8 has been “frozen” for “too long,” that Mitchell-Lama housing — a program that gives affordable rental and cooperative housing to middle income families — “just doesn’t exist anymore” and that Section 202 funding for senior housing is “gone.”

“I want to unlock all these levers,” he said. “Right now, the crisis of our moment is affordable housing, and ... we’re not doing enough at the federal level, leaving that responsibility almost exclusively to the state and the city.” Affordability is the issue he has heard the most about on the campaign trail, he said, along with housing.

He also seeks to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — he noted that the agency did not exist prior to 2002, and he wants to revert to the days when those who committed serious crimes could get deported only after having their day in court.

“ICE is just this overmilitarized force that we don’t need,” he said. “We can continue to have a system by which the courts and judges make a determination on how and who’s going to get deported.”

When separating families is involved, Reynoso said “we should really be thoughtful about what we’re talking about.” He also believes there should be a clearer path to citizenship for undocumented people who pay

World Cup with music at FMCP

With World Cup soccer starting in a week in New Jersey, Queens fans will get a chance to combine their love of “the beautiful game,” music and more at a series of watch parties and special events at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Events run every day from June 11 to 27. Most are free, though one must reserve tickets. Some are ticketed separately for a fee. Details are at nynjfwc26.com/queens. Performers include the rapper Nas, singersongwriter Wyclef Jean and many more.

“Throughout the tournament’s Group

Stage, this iconic venue will bring fans from around the globe alongside local residents for live match broadcasts, performances, special appearances, local food and beverage offerings, immersive activations, and the unforgettable energy of the World Cup beyond the stadium walls,” the organizers say on the website.

“Built around the spirit of ‘The World’s Game in the World’s Borough,’ the Queens Group Stage HQ will bring together fans from every corner of the globe to celebrate the beautiful game.” Q

— Peter C. Mastrosimone

taxes and “want to live the American dream.”

Reynoso also would prioritize Puerto Rico’s right to self-determination in terms of statehood. He backs the accompanying legislation introduced in 2021 by outgoing Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens), by whom he is endorsed, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx, Queens).

He champions the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act, which intends to expand protections pertaining to employees’ rights to collectively bargain. Reynoso also supports a tax-the-rich policy that puts levies on wealth instead of income and would not affect 99.9 percent of people, he said.

Reynoso hopes to discuss campaign finance laws in the federal government to give people like himself the chance to run for office “and never have to talk to any of these people that have tons of money, or corporations,” he said. He does not take corporate money, he said, and raised more this time than in any of his past campaigns.

On local projects, he supports the Inter-

borough Express, a 14-mile light rail line connecting parts of Brooklyn and Queens. He called transportation a “great equalizer,” saying he supports free transit for riders, but he favors keeping bridge and tunnel tolls.

“Our idea here is that we build a public transportation system that is so good, that is reliable, safe and clean, and on time, that having a car is optional,” he said.

He also expressed a need for oversight on remediation at Newtown Creek, and to make sure federal investments in affordable housing at Sunnyside Yard actually come to pass.

Reynoso said also that he would support Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) as Congress’ Democratic leader, but intends to push him as far left as possible.

Among his opponents in the June 23 primary for NY-7 is Assemblymember Claire Valdez (D-Sunnyside), who is backed by Mayor Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America. In addition to Velázquez, Reynoso’s supporters include state Attorney General Letitia James, the Working Families Party and the Queens Democrats.

Asked what sets him apart from DSA candidates, Reynoso said he has supported such candidates in the past — including Mamdani — and believes in socialist principles, but he is not a member himself.

“I have a coalition that is very diverse and broad, and I want them all to have a voice in what the future of this district looks like,” he said. “Being a member of the DSA would have me beholden to a smaller group of people that are part of the coalition, but not the entire coalition.”

Reynoso also characterized himself as a “middle-class family man,” saying Congress does not have enough such members.

“The people writing our legislation are an elite and very rich few, and we’ve got to bring Congress back to the American people,” Reynoso said. Q

SEQRA changes praised, ripped

continued from page 13

environmentally friendly projects up in court for years, driving up costs, rents and utility bills while slowing climate action. Wright said while intended to protect the environment, SEQRA had too often prevented energy-efficient housing near transit, rail electrification and critical road, bridge, and school repairs, “imposing outsized legal hurdles that benefited a few wealthy opponents at the expense of communities.”

Roger Downs, conservation director for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, had a decidedly, different take in a statement on the groups website.

Downs said the proposal to exempt new housing projects from environmental review

will create a new set of problems and costs that could undermine “any affordability” the reforms seek to achieve.

“Without environmental review, new housing could be mired in wetlands, built on toxic contamination sites or decimate irreplaceable habitat, with little recourse for an impacted community to challenge,” Downs said. “Environmental review is not the primary reason for housing delays, and negating the benefits of SEQRA will not bring us more affordable homes — only more hardship to our communities and the natural world.

Downs said the “regressive legislative rollbacks” are certain to reverse years of environmental progress in New York. Q

HB native’s designs make it to Miami

Founder of TRUSSO, Taylor Russo, has swimwear showcased on runway

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

Taylor Russo spent seven years balancing a full-time dress-design job in Manhattan with the growing demands of running a swimwear brand on her own.

This year, the 28-year-old Howard Beach native finally took the leap, and is seeing the payoff on one of fashion’s biggest stages: Parasio Miami Swim Week, where her swimwear was featured on the runway last weekend.

juggled that passion with a demanding 9-to-5.

Now, her time is dedicated to her brand.

“In November, I left my dress job in the city and I took the leap,” Russo said.

“This moment means everything to me.”

— Taylor Russo

The decision came after a series of breakthrough moments, including twice being tapped by stylists for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, where the likes of social media powerhouse Alix Earle and rugby Olympian Ilona Maher have modeled her swimwear.

Russo, founder and designer of TRUSSO Swim, started making bikinis for herself while in college, but her love for the art of fashion started earlier.

“I was always interested in fashion from an early age,” Russo told the Chronicle. “Me and my sister, my mom — we were always shopping.”

In high school, Russo put on her first runway show through the art department, even sewing the dresses herself. That’s when, Russo said, she decided to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Eventually, Russo began developing her own swim line all on her own — self-funded with no investors or backing. For years, she

But Miami Swim Week is the milestone Russo has been chasing from the start.

“Miami’s clearly the hot spot for swimwear,” Russo said.

The runway call came fast.

“I actually didn’t know I was doing this runway show until a week and a half ago,” she said of being selected for the Rise showcase.

Preparation became an all-day sprint, but, she said, “with that short amount of time, I think everything went amazing.”

Twenty looks from her Opalescent Tides 2026 Collection, including bridal swimwear, were featured on the runway, adorned with

jewelry by Christin Marie Studio, the show’s official jewelry sponsor.

”This moment means everything to me,” Russo said.

More on TRUSSO Swim can be found online at trussoswim.com, and on Instagram, @trusso_swim.

Looking ahead, Russo sees Miami as just

HAPPY PR ID E MONTH

the beginning. She’s aiming to be featured in more retail stores and to offer more resort wear in the future.

Her advice to other young women who are afraid to take the same risk she did is simple: “Just do it. You just have to do it, and you figure things out along the way. If you don’t take the leap, you’ll never know.” Q

Students of Richmond Hill’s PS 254, the Rosa Parks School, hit a home run for healthy living on May 26 when New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley, top center, joined fan-favorite mascot Mr. Met and staff from the Hospital for Special Surgery for a visit aimed at getting kids moving and making smart lifestyle choices.

In honor of May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, the Amazin’ Mets Foundation and HSS continued the Mets on the Move initiative, stepping up to the plate to teach Queens students the importance of staying active. The program brings interactive

workout days to elementary schools across the borough, combining fun with lessons on health and wellness.

As part of the effort, HSS developed a curriculum that helps students learn the ins and outs of the human body and the fundamentals of safe movement. All the students received pedometer watches to keep track of their steps, turning fitness into a friendly competition.

Students also had the chance to earn Mets-themed prizes while proving that staying active is always a winning play in the World’s Borough. — Kristen Guglielmo

• Short-Term Rehab & Long-Term Care

• Prosthetic/Orthotic Services

• IV Therapy/TPN/Tracheotomy

• Palliative/Hospice Care

• Stroke/Cardiac Rehabilitation

• Speech Services

• Physical/Occupational Therapies

• Wound Care Services/Wound Vac

• Pain Management/Specialty Mattresses

• Respiratory Services/BiPAP/CPAP

• Multilingual Speaking Staff

• Recreation Programs Weekdays, Evenings & Weekends

• Under the Vaad Harabonim of Queens

Face of a housing solution is all but cut out

Adams City Hall promised a granny flat OK under new rules.

by Samantha Maldonado THE CITY

This article was originally published on June 1, 5:00 a.m. EDT by THE CITY REPORTER.

During the last mayor’s term, Sadé Singh was a face of the city’s push to allow more housing across the boroughs. Now, building that housing on her own property may be impossible.

Singh, who lives in St. Albans, wanted homeowners like herself to be able to build backyard cottages and apartments over garages, in basements and in attics.

But first, the city had to change its zoning rules, which previously forbid those types of structures — known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.

During the Adams administration’s push to change those rules, Singh appeared in videos, penned op-eds and lent her image and words to official informational materials about the proposal. She took time off work to accommodate photos and filming, she said.

In August 2024, a car picked her up at her home and drove her to a press conference at City Hall, where she appeared with Mayor Eric Adams and top members of his administration. Standing at a podium in the rotunda, she spoke about how ADUs represented “a lifeline for people like me” thanks to their potential to generate income and create stability.

When the City Council voted to approve the zoning changes, which are called City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, she got a text from one of the mayor’s communications aides: “Just passed — you now have your ADU!” Singh was elated.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, it’s finally about to happen,’” she said.

She hoped to turn her basement into a legal apartment and rent it out, which could help offset the costs she encountered when she became a homeowner. She had shelled out to fix plumbing, the roof and the water heater, among other issues.

But more than a year later, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani succeeded Adams and New York City officially rolled out its program allowing for ADUs, Singh is no closer to building hers than she was before. Even under the newly passed rules, she’s not eligible for most types of ADUs — also sometimes called granny flats or mother-in-law apartments — and her property’s space constraints raise questions about whether she’s able to construct one at all.

“To make someone a promise like that, and to then just kind of take it away from them without any type of explanation, it’s honestly

devastating,” Singh said. “It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if they didn’t personally leverage me in their communications and in their campaign.”

Priming the pipeline

Officials touted the City of Yes as a way to unleash more housing, with ADUs as a particularly promising piece of the plan. There was pushback from many groups across the city, but after zoning reforms passed, developers and homeowners showed significant enthusiasm to start constructing ADUs, as The City Reporter previously reported.

Since October 2025, the Department of Buildings has approved permits for more than 30 projects for either existing homes adding an ADU, or new construction that includes an ADU, according to a review of data.

Nearly 2,600 New York City homeowners applied to a program called Plus One ADU, which launched in November 2023 and closed in February 2024. It offered financing and technical support for eligible homeowners to build an ADU on their property. So far, more than 3,100 homeowners have applied since Mamdani reopened the program in March, according to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The application period remains open through June 12.

From the first intake period, more than 700 were eligible based on zoning, and of those, almost 200 submitted loan applications. So far, there are 20 projects in the pipeline from that group, per HPD.

Singh had applied to the program in the first period, but found her home was not eligible. Still, the Adams administration asked to include her in its public efforts on City of Yes, and she said officials had told her they’d follow up and work with her on the ADU after the zoning changes passed. That didn’t happen, she said.

“I feel very exploited at the situation,” she said. “I can’t tell you the level of disappointment. You’re talking about a life-changing experience.”

A spokesperson for Adams did not respond to requests for comment.

Limited by the foot

Singh, 31, who works in corporate communications, bought her semi-attached, two-story house with a small backyard in 2020. She lives there with her younger sister, her mom and their two dogs.

After the celebratory text from an Adams aide in December 2024, Singh said she heard nothing from City Hall.

In June 2025, she reconnected with the aide on LinkedIn and realized he’d moved to anoth-

er job. In the fall, he sent her a link to the press release announcing the application portal for ADUs and shared with her the number of someone she could contact in the Adams administration.

Singh never reached out, as she said she felt jaded by the experience, though she’d still eventually like to build an ADU.

“Being able to have an additional dwelling unit could completely change our lives,” Singh said. “It could allow us to either create housing for someone in our family, or it could also be a financial benefit to us to be able to alleviate some of the financial pressure of having to pay all of what comes with owning a home.”

Some of the limits Singh faces when it comes to building on her property are a matter of a few feet.

Her basement, which is actually a cellar, is not eligible for an apartment conversion: its ceilings aren’t high enough, and it doesn’t rise 2 feet above the curb line. She doesn’t have a garage or an attic to turn into an ADU.

It might be possible for her to build an attached ADU, but it’s unlikely given her space constraints.

An attached ADU can occupy only a third of her already quite small backyard, and be no more than 250 square feet. In the city’s collection of pre-approved ADU designs, the smallest option is 280 square feet.

“Going down even further, I think, would be a challenge,” said Basar Girit, partner at SITU, the firm behind that design. The ADU would need to comply with codes that require minimum sizes for habitable space.

And Singh couldn’t build a backyard granny flat, separate from her main house. That’s because her home is just barely outside an area that allows for them — missing it by a handful

She’s still waiting.

of blocks because of a last-minute carveout. Broadly, City of Yes allows for detached backyard ADUs within a half a mile radius from most mass transit stations, though, in some select areas, the radius shrinks to just a quarter mile — including 13 Long Island Rail Road stations in eastern Queens and four Metro-North stations in The Bronx.

Councilmember Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans), who represents Singh’s neighborhood, said she pushed to limit that radius to restrict where ADUs could be built in response to community concerns about lack of infrastructure to support more neighbors.

So even though Singh’s home is within half a mile of the Locust Manor LIRR stop, she’s about three blocks beyond the quarter-mile zone where detached ADUs are allowed.

“It’s insane,” Singh said of the zone, which ends in the middle of the park directly across the street from her house.

Joanne Madhère, Williams’ communications director, said in an email that the Council member understands Singh’s disappointment, but the changes with the zones were meant to “strike a balance between expanding housing opportunities and protecting neighborhood conditions and capacity.”

City Hall is not currently working to change the ADU eligibility rules in City of Yes. Singh is far from the only homeowner who can’t build a detached backyard ADU. Of the 702 homeowners found to be eligible for Plus One ADU in the first round of the city’s financing program, 196 of them live outside a transit zone and therefore cannot construct a backyard cottage, according to HPD.

Wil Fisher, principal at the ADU consulting firm Unit Two Development, said he frequently encounters New Yorkers who also live outside the correct area for a detached ADU — or aren’t eligible because they live in a flood-prone area.

“We’ve spoken with dozens of homeowners who were excited to build ADUs and disappointed to learn that their zoning districts made them ineligible,” he said.

Singh has also heard from neighbors in the same boat — and she said, to her, that shows the need to expand City of Yes.

“It’s a great start, but how do we evolve that to make it more inclusive? Because my situation is probably more duplicative than people realize,” she said. “It’s being marketed and promoted as like it’s for everyone, but there are actually so many limitations to actually being a part of it.” Q

THE CITY REPORTER (thecityreporter.nyc) is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.

Singh, far left, speaks at a City Hall rally with Mayor Eric Adams about making it easier to build accessory dwelling units, Aug. 5, 2024. NYC Planning used Singh in a brochure, center, about changing zoning laws to support accessory dwelling units. Singh has been trying to build an ADU behind her St. Albans home, May 1, 2026.

City Council shares FY ’27 housing priorities

Some initiatives include tax rebate, expansion of help desk and heat pumps

by Naeisha Rose Editor

City Council members on various committees were at a joint hearing on the executive budget proposal at City Hall on June 2.

Elected officials on the Committee on Housing and Buildings were joined by the Committee on Finance and others advocating for a property tax rebate for Class 1 and Class 2 primary homeowners, an expansion of the Homeowner Help Desk and heat pumps for one- and two-family homes in the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Asked about the cost for the first initiative, the Council said funding for a rebate of $150 per STAR-eligible household, of which there are approximately 600,000 receiving the exemption, would cost about $90 million.

Asked about the cost of the second and third initiatives, the Council said expanding the help desk would cost around $2 million; and the heat pump grant would cost $10 million.

The latter initiative would call for a city run program in which homeowners below a certain income threshold residing in environmental justice communities can apply for free or subsidized heat pump installation for their homes.

It would be a $10,000 subsidy for 1,000 one- and two-family homes.

Asked about the cost of installing a heat pump, the Council said the price depends on the construction and the condition of a home, and can range from $8,000 to $15,000.

Council Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans), a member of the Housing Committee, said homeownership remains one of the primary ways families build stability and create opportunities for future generations.

“I represent a district where homeownership has helped generations of families put down roots, build wealth, and create opportunities for their children,” said Williams via email. “But owning a home does not mean navigating every challenge alone.”

Homeowners find themselves facing complex issues ranging from repair needs and foreclosure concerns to property fraud and estate planning, without knowing where to turn for trusted guidance, continued Williams.

“Expanding the Homeowner Help Desk would help connect more New Yorkers to the information, resources and expert support they need to protect and maintain their homes,” she added. “Providing that assistance early can help prevent small challenges from becoming larger crises while strengthening housing stability for families and communities across our city.”

Williams is on the Finance Committee with Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), who also chairs the Committee on Envi-

ronmental Protection.

Gennaro said that even though heat pumps save money over time, many families cannot absorb the upfront expense.

“They deserve the same opportunity to modernize their homes, lower their utility bills and reduce pollution,” said Gennaro via email.

The councilman said the proposal is a simple and accessible grant of $10,000 or more to make heat pumps affordable for homeowners.

“The goal is to eliminate the financial barrier that prevents families from choosing the cleaner, more efficient option,” said the environmental chair. “New Yorkers deserve relief from rising energy costs.”

Asked if the city can achieve its housing goals with a loss of federal funding, Councilwoman Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens), chair of the Finance Committee, said the Council remains focused on advancing key budget priorities for fiscal year 2027.

“The Council supports a $2 million expansion of Homeowner Help Desk services to help New Yorkers prevent foreclosure, manage mortgage payments, and access affordable home repairs and energy-efficiency upgrades,” she said via email. “We are also working with [the Department of Enviromental Protection and Housing Preservation Development] to launch a first-of-its-kind heat pump distribution program for burdened residents in environmental justice communities, who have been disproportionately impacted by flooding, pollution, and severe storms, witnessed in Eastern and Southeastern Queens.

“The City Council has repeatedly opposed proposed increases in property taxes and is committed to securing a property tax rebate. ... Too often, discussions about affordable housing overlook the creation of real pathways towards affordable and sustainable homeownership. As homeowners continue to face financial strain, these investments and tax relief measures will provide meaningful support to families who call New York City home.”

The budget must be finalized by July 1. Q

State Sen. James Sanders Jr. says commission needs more time for study Reparations report delayed until 2029

by Naeisha Rose Editor

The state Community Commission on Reparations Remedies has delayed a study to highlight New York’s legacy of slavery and systemic discrimination for a third time, pushing the deadline to the end of January 2029.

State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park) sponsored previous versions of the bill forming the commission as far back as 2017, but didn’t garner enough support for the group until 2023.

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-Valley Stream), chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, is the sponsor of the other chamber’s version of the bill.

A report was initially supposed to be released in 2025, but was delayed.

“The commission was established with all of the enthusiam that New Yorkers can muster,” Sanders told the Chronicle. “We failed to realize how daunting the task was. California realized that and they had their deadline [extended] for two years.”

A year after the Empire State’s commission was formed, the report was supposed to be released.

California formed a task force to study and develop reparation proposals for African

Americans and released its final report to its state Legislature in June 2023. The Golden State’s commission was formed in 2021.

“The one year did not give enough time to put everything in place, so we went for the first extension,” said Sanders.

When asked if the third extension is due to anti-diversity-equity-and-inclusion sentiment from the federal government, Sanders, said, “This is a 400-year-old problem and we have given them the task of finding out a couple of things.

“A — is there any liability of New York State in this enslavement? Is there a case? If there is a case, how much was New York involved? After that, how do we resolve this? How do we compensate those who have been harmed?”

Gothamist, however, reported that state officials are “bowing to political headwinds.”

Sanders maintains that the mission for the commission has been quite the task.

The Washington Times reported on May 30 that the commission has compiled around 200 hours of public testimony.

“Add to that, there has been a slow picking of executive members and executive directors,” said Sanders about the 13-member group. “Now we are ready to rock ’n’ roll. It may be ready before that time.”

Sanders said the commission wanted to

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• Administrator member of American College of Health Administrators

• Administrator recipient of CMS Outstanding Achievement award for Reducing Hospitalizations

give itself more runway for the report.

“The major concern was doing a thing right, making sure we turn in a quality project and making sure that we go to every community in New York State that requests us or that we can possibly visit. ... We are getting word back from different people saying they would love to see the commission.”

Sanders hopes the commission will touch down in Queens before it finalizes its report.

“They haven’t been to Queens in a year

and a half,” he said.

Asked if the commission is running into any legal quagmires, the senator said it is making good speed.

The NY Carib News reports that the commissioners will now receive legal indemnification protections, shielding them from potential lawsuits tied to actions taken in their official capacity while serving on the panel.

Sanders said the commission has a great legal team.

“We are looking forward to the conversations that we have with New Yorkers,” said Sanders. “New York is a place where we would sue [because of a] hamburger if you remember. So we would be surprised if we didn’t run into any legal challenges anywhere. We would be delighted, but surprised.”

Asked what remedies he would like to hear proposed from the commission, Sanders said that he does not want to influence the group’s decision.

“I of course have my own ideas as every New Yorker does,” he said.

Asked if he would like to see the commission’s proposals on a ballot, Sanders said if the group calls for it, he wouldn’t be against the measure.

“I like the idea of democracy and the people weighing in and saying what they would like,” he said. Q

• Administrator is 2016 Recipient of Lily Leadership Award

How to manage multiple medications

Managing medications becomes more complex as seniors typically take multiple drugs and supplements to maintain health.

Polypharmacy, or the practice of managing multiple medications, is a part of life for a significant percentage of seniors. Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs are essential for maintaining health and managing chronic conditions. However, the chemical complexity of mixing so many drugs can lead to dangerous outcomes if one isn’t careful.

Older adults take more medications than any other age group. A report conducted by Age Wave and The John A. Hartford Foundation found that the average senior takes four medications, but more than 15 percent take eight or more. Some medications can create further conditions or worsen existing conditions. Data from the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality show that 15.9 percent of older adults use inappropriate medication.

Structured medication management is essential for seniors’ safety. Here’s how to safely navigate taking multiple medications at once.

• Conduct a medication audit. Take all of the medications and supplements you use to a primary care physician or pharmacist to discuss potential interactions and if any prescriptions can be canceled. Research from Clarest Health indicates that patients taking five to nine medications have a 50 percent chance of experiencing a significant adverse drug event.

• Talk about deprescribing. Speak with a doctor about the process of tapering off medications that may no longer be necessary or are resulting in more harm than benefit.

• Use one pharmacy. Always fill prescriptions

from the same pharmacy. Modern systems are equipped with safeguards to flag certain drugto-drug interactions automatically. Also, the pharmacist is often an underutilized resource. Ask questions and figure out if he or she can conduct a medication review to ensure a regimen for taking medications is as complicationfree as possible.

Utilize smart systems. Rely on smart pill dispensers that unlock only at the correct time to manage high-risk medications. Other pill organizers and digital apps can set reminders to take medications at the appropriate times. An app like Medisafe will notify family members if a dose is missed.

Link doses to actions. Make medications an automatic part of your day by linking them to activities, like morning pills taken with a cup of coffee or evening pills when you eat dinner. Use visual cues. Keep pill organizers in a visible spot so you remember to take the medication.

Ask for help. If managing medications has become a tall order, ask a friend, family member or a visiting nurse or aide to assist with medication management.

Update your list. Always maintain a current list of the medications and supplements you are taking, and bring it along to every new medical appointment for further review.

Managing medications becomes more complex as seniors typically take multiple drugs and supplements to maintain health. P — Metro Creative Connection

Tips for seniors entering the dating scene

Dating in one’s golden years is a common experience for many seniors. Whether it’s the result of a loss of a spouse or other life events, many people find themselves looking for love in their golden years.

According to statistics from The Senior List and the Pew Research Center, roughly one-third of adults 65 and older in the United States reported being single in 2022, a percentage exceeded only by people between the ages of 18 and 29. Many older singles are not looking for a committed relationship; some just want to have fun exploring the dating scene. With that in mind, here’s how seniors can explore dating, which may look and feel a little different than the last time seniors were dating.

Identify your reason for dating

Seniors should establish the reasons they are ready to get back into the mix. Identifying the motivation for mingling can help set the right course for finding a partner. Sometimes it boils down to wanting someone to share hobbies, go to dinner or travel with. Some seniors

like the idea of having a relationship with someone, but living apart with their own homes and sense of independence. Others are looking for the next Mr. or Mrs. Right, and want a partner to share their life with in all ways.

Going digital

While meeting people in person is possible, particularly when those with similar interests are pulled together through clubs or social events, the dating world has increasingly moved online. Online dating is a popular and modern way to meet new people. Apps like OurTime and SilverSingles are geared specifically to the older demographic, while Bumble is women-led. Meetup is not a dating app, but one for meeting people with an interest in sharing specific experiences.

Be open and honest

Great relationships are rooted in honesty. Individuals should skip the “glory days” photos of their youth or even 10 years ago and use current p hotos for datin g

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apps. People should be specific with what they are looking for, like a travel companion to go to Europe or someone who enjo y s

trying the local culinary scene

Being honest and specific increases the chances of finding a good match.

Be safe

Seniors are often the targets of scams, and by tugging at the heartstrings, scammers can exploit vulnerabilities. AARP® says nearly 60,000 people reported romance scams to the Federal Trade Commission in 2024, when victims reported losing $2.95 billion. Wanting to move conversations off of datin g apps and directly to texts or other messaging platforms where they can’t be monitored is a red flag. Scammers often indicate they live far away and can’t meet in person and will give excuses to that effect. Others will promise the world and be in constant contact. It’s a cause for concern anytime a person mentions needing money or having an investment opportunity.

If and when a senior meets with a date, the interaction should take place in a public location for the first several dates. Double-datin g with a friend also can be a safe approach.

Dating in one’s golden years requires some adjustments and an emphasis on safety. P — Metro Creative Connection

Chancellor Samuels gets quizzed by parents and students at town hall Autism programs, buses are concerns at CEC 24

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

New York City education officials, including schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, were in the hot seat during Monday evening’s Community Education Council 24 town hall at IS 73, the Frank Sansivieri Intermediate School, in Maspeth, where parents and students were given the opportunity to ask questions.

A young pupil enrolled in Horizon, one of the city Department of Education’s programs for students with autism, stood before the packed room to address Samuels.

He asked the question twice: once on his own, reading from a cue card, and once using an augmentative and alternative communication device.

“Some kids who need programs like Horizon, Nest or AIMS can’t get into them or have to wait a long time,” said Evan, the son of CEC member Gina Liberta. “What is NYC Public Schools doing to help more autistic kids get the support they need?”

Samuels said programs such as Horizon, Nest and AIMS — or Acquisition, Integrated Services, Meaningful Communication, and Social Skills — have a strong track record of supporting autistic students.

“We are proud of the outcomes they deliver for families across the city,” Samuels said. “We also recognize that demand is high, and that

too many students face long wait times to access the programs that best suit their needs.”

He said he is committed to more high-quality programs closer to students’ homes.

“It’s not only that we don’t have enough programs, but oftentimes young people have to be traveling on buses, spending much-needed instruction time trying to get to and from school, and so this is a commitment of mine,” Samuels said.

Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti said, “We opened a Horizon program at PS 13 this year with a middle school expansion next year; that is very exciting.”

She added, “We’re projecting four new autism programs by [the 2026-27 school year] which would take us up to 31 classes in District 24.”

Eighth-grade student Bode, the son of CEC member Kate Barvels, queried the chancellor on transportation concerns.

“In the six years I’ve been at my school, I’ve only taken two field trips to Manhattan because of issues with the Office of Pupil Transportation,” Bode said. “I’ve also heard weird stories about kids spending hours waiting for their bus to school. What can you do to ensure that OPT is held accountable for reliable work?”

Samuels jokingly admitted, “I always get nervous when the kids ask the questions. They’re always the toughest ones.”

He called busing “one of the issues that I’ve tried to study the most,” noting that the DOE buses more than 150,000 kids every day on 9,000 routes.

“We are seeing that our young people are seeing delays, and so we’re working on multiple modernization plans, such as GPS trackers,” Samuels said. “We just recently launched our scorecard that you can give to vendors. We want to provide you with the best transportation service and hold ourselves to high standards.”

He said the DOE is rolling out new accountability measures to improve bus service.

District 24 Superintendent Anthony Rivera stressed it is important for schools to document when vendors are not meeting expectations.

“We’re also encouraging schools to use flexible options ... like MTA certificates or combinations of yellow bus,” Rivera said. “But overall, our role is to make sure that concerns are documented, they get escalated and addressed, so that transportation becomes more reliable for students.” Q

IBX enviro review, design chugs along

Draft impact statement, details on acquisition needs expected this year

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

Environmental review and design work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s planned Interborough Express are in full swing, although it is still up in the air when the train may start running.

A draft environmental impact statement for the IBX, a 14-mile light rail line connecting parts of Brooklyn and Queens, is slated for release later this year, project director Jordan Smith said at Monday’s Queens Borough Board meeting at Borough Hall. A final scoping document will precede the draft statement, Smith said — the MTA hosted multiple planning meetings after environmental review began last fall.

“When we release that, we’ll host a public hearing in which we’ll discuss the results of that draft environmental impact statement and solicit more public comment,” he said.

The project team also will have “full details” about property acquisition needs — a concern for many — when the draft statement is released, according to Smith.

“The good news for property acquisition is this is a rail corridor today,” he said. “So if the MTA was just building a new 14-mile light rail project, we would be acquiring a significant amount of property, which we’re just not doing here ... we do expect small areas of property acquisition, and we’re doing the work now to understand what those are.” He said the project team has worked hard to minimize any acquisition, especially of residential areas.

Asked by Community Board 4 Chair Marialena Giampino how affected owners will be compensated, Smith said that involves the “very rigorous legal process” that would be

G. MEDITZ

necessary, following the eminent domain procedure law.

On design work, he said, crews are out in the corridor gathering data at this stage and “getting a sense of what’s there today” to inform civil work, such as for bridges and retaining walls.

The design phase will continue through mid to late 2027.

Once that concludes, Smith said, the MTA will decide on bidding construction projects.

Asked by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards when the IBX is expected to start operating, Smith said his team is focused on available funding — Gov. Hochul

secured $2.75 billion, half the total cost, in the MTA’s 202529 capital plan, but the IBX will span multiple plans.

“We don’t want to start constructing a project that we don’t have the funding to finish,” Smith said, saying his team expects to know more information closer to the end of the decade.

The MTA has been hosting public workshops about the IBX, the last of which was last Saturday in Brooklyn. Smith said the agency has heard plenty of concerns about flooding and is developing a comprehensive stormwater management system. Potential power issues also were brought up, he said — the IBX is planned to be electric, but it will not draw from the residential grid.

Smith said outreach will continue throughout the process, and the MTA plans to meet with civic organizations over the summer.

The IBX has plenty of champions, including Hochul, but it also has faced pushback, particularly from folks in Middle Village whose concerns include a potential tunnel underneath All Faiths Cemetery and the proposed Eliot Avenue stop.

Also at the Borough Board meeting, the city Department of Design and Construction delivered a presentation on ongoing and future infrastructure projects in Queens, including water main replacements, sewer upgrades and pedestrian safety improvements. One ongoing initiative is to install a storm sewer from Rockaway Boulevard through Idlewild Park to 224th Street, with completion slated for early 2027.

Richards said the “significant” project will pump a million gallons of water a minute out of Southeast Queens. Q

June 4, 2026

ARTS, CULTURE & LIVING

by Stephanie G. Meditz

One exhibition on view at Mrs. in Maspeth holds a mirror up to a place near and dear to the artist. The other holds a mirror up to viewers, beckoning them to form personal connections to each work.

Sunshine and sadness Eyes in the sky and on the self

In “Fire Island Sun,” artist Chris Bogia replicates the show’s namesake location off Long Island’s South Shore, from its unique architecture to its rich history. Bogia is based in Astoria, but he has deep emotional ties to Fire Island and owns a home there.

“I never had an urge to come here until I was invited, and then I realized how wrong I was about the place,” Bogia said. “There’s so much natural beauty here and so much really amazing queer history that’s sort of passed down orally from the more mature folks, seniors, to young people.”

mark new exhibits

That social aspect is the island’s most valuable attraction for Bogia, and it inspired him to start a nonprofit there. He is a co-founder of the Fire Island Artist Residency, the first LGBTQ artist residency in the country. He was featured in a book by John Dempsey entitled “Fire Island Art: 100 Years” for his work on it.

Bogia recreated Fire Island’s boardwalks using reclaimed planks from those very paths, which stand in lieu of roads.

“I thought, all right, I’m going to make sculptures out of this lumber that’s, to me, sort of charged with an emotional and historical depth,” he said. “That’s sort of how it started ... and then I made sort of a suite of works around them that would complement them.”

He also made a miniature version of Cherry Grove’s Belvedere Guest House, a historic men’s only resort built in 1957. Bogia said it looks like something out of Disneyland, and it stands today as a testament to the will and talent of the gay Hollywood creative who designed it.

The centerpiece of “Fire Island Sun” is a bright, 6-foot mandala of yarn and lacquered wood that shares the exhibition’s title and perfectly encapsulates it.

“I think there’s something for everybody in the show, but I think that

e Island Sun , artist Chris licates the show’s namesake f f Island’s South Shore, nique ry. is based in b ut a l ti es t o Fi re a s invited, re and r t of lks, e t l nd e rry s mething ament to e ative who t, 6-foot mandaexhibition’s title and how, but I think that continued on page 27

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

Anita Page’s real-life role was a girl in Flushing

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

Marino Leo Pomares, an electrical engineer married Maude Mullane on Oct. 5, 1909 in New York City. They had a girl, Anita, born in Flushing on Aug. 4, 1910. They lived in Long Island City at 21-24 45 Ave. (45th Avenue was called 12th Street then).

Encouraged by her mother, Anita met with casting directors, signing with MGM. The studio changed her name to Ann Page, but learned it was used by another actress, so she got to keep Anita. She was referred to as a blonde, blue-eyed Latin and the most beautiful girl in Hollywood. Census records show her father was born in Cuba and her mother in Venezuela; and Spanish was spoken at home: facts omitted from her bio.

Her first movie was in 1928 and she worked until she retired in 1933, claiming she was refused a pay raise. Years later she said a powerful executive had offered her three big roles if she would sleep with him, and she refused. She married Lt. Hershel A. House in 1937; they had two kids and were together until he died.

Page was the last surviving attendee of

NORTHERN BOULEVARD

FOOT CARE

the first Academy Awards in 1929. Her film “The Broadway Melody” won Best Picture the next year. She died in her sleep at 98 and has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Q

Clarification

The May 28 article “Jamie Dimon could bank on Jackson Heights” was not clear that Dimon’s building was in the complex called The Towers.

B SPORTS EAT

Bobby V and Maz honored

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

anyone. Valentine was suspended for two games and fined $5,000 by Major League Baseball.

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It has been a dreary season for Mets fans, but whenever their team honors the stars of the past, the present can be forgotten for at least a few moments. This past Saturday, the Mets enshrined Bobby Valentine and Lee Mazzilli into their Hall of Fame.

Although Valentine played for the Mets on their putrid late-1970s post-Tom Seaver teams, he earned the honor for being one of the best managers in Mets history. He guided the Mets to a postseason run in 1999, as well as another in 2000, when they came up short in the World Series against the Yankees.

Valentine reminds me of ex-Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan. Both had swagger, which was very much in short supply in the history of both franchises. Players for their respective teams enjoyed playing under them. Most importantly, both men got results when they had decent players.

Sportswriters loved to cover Valentine because he enjoyed the Q&A give-and-take, and he never gave cliched answers. There was also never a dull moment with him. He will always be remembered for getting tossed by an umpire from a 1999 game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

That happens to every manager. What made Bobby V become a part of baseball folklore is he returned to the dugout wearing a fake mustacheand-sunglasses combo. It obviously did not fool

Of course, that was a pittance compared to the public relations value the incident added to his legacy. Last Friday, the Mets gave out fake glasses and mustaches to every fan at Citi Field to celebrate his entering the Mets Hall of Fame.

Mazzilli was a teammate of Valentine’s during those lean late-’70s years, when they were lucky to draw 5,000 fans a night to Shea Stadium. There wasn’t much to cheer for in Flushing then, but Mazzilli was clearly the fan favorite.

He was blessed with good looks and plenty of talent. It helped that he grew up in Sheepshead Bay and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Coney Island. Not surprisingly, Mazzilli became the focus of various Mets advertisements including the “Take your kids to see our kids!” campaign aimed at families.

Mazzilli hit the first Met homer in an All-Star Game, which helped propel the National League to a 6-5 win over the American League at Seattle’s Kingdome in 1979. For Mets fans, it was a rare chance to puff their chests that year.

He was traded in 1982 to the Texas Rangers for pitchers Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. It was fitting the Mets reacquired him in 1986, when he became a contributor to that World Series-winning team. Q See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com.

‘About Face’ at The Local NYC in Long Island City

by Naeisha Rose editor

The human face is being explored by 27 artists via lyrical and otherworldly mixedmedia works, soulful spray-painted images on vinyl, whimsical portraits and more in an art exhibit in Long Island City, which runs through Saturday, June 27.

Art BreakOut, a platform founded in 2017 for artists who work on the margins of the industry, is hosting the “About Face: Real and Re-Imagined” exhibit at the Local NYC, an upscale hostel with gallery space, located at 13-02 44 Ave.

The Local NYC is accessible via the E, M, G and 7 trains.

Lois Stavsky, co-creator of the exhibit, said she chose to focus on the mortal frontage because she hoped that with several of the artists calling Queens home, some would produce images that represent the World’s Borough’s cultural and ethnic diversity.

“And they did!” said Stavsky, who was raised in Forest Hills and Rego Park, via email. “I also was interested in the variety of facial expressions, moods and themes that the artists would choose to render with the topic “About Face: Real and Re-Imagined.”

a wooden panel in wooden frame, and “You Are Under Watch” by Kaiser Kamal of Queens Village, a mixed-media work on canvas.

Bonnie Astor of Jackson Heights is the other co-curator.

Filipino-American artist Jason Bofill’s “Respect Your Mother,” made with clay, spray paint, Styrofoam and artificial grass on a wooden panel in a wooden frame, is one of the works that will be on display.

“My piece represents Mother Nature and urges the viewer to help take care of planet Earth because it, like your mother, brought you life,” said Bofill of Astoria via email.

Queens-based AHRC/ARTech artists will also have their works showcased.

AHRC, established in 1976, is an initiative that serves people with intellectual disabilities, said Stavsky. Artists Sydney Buford and Lamija Kurtovic utilize the program.

Artists Abusayeed Haque, Nadila Masrii and Shi Shuo Wang are served by ARTech Collective, a division of AHRC solely devoted to art education, she added.

To learn more about AHRC/ARTech and Art BreakOut, visit ahrcnyc.org/services, artechcollective.org and artbreakout.com.

Stavsky said some highlights include lyrical works by Bengali artist Kaiser Kamal of Queens Village; bold and playfully striking portraits by self-taught artist Danielle Charette; and spray-painted images of children’s faces by Iranian artist Alone.

On view, too, are eye-catching images of faces seen on city walls worldwide and captured by self-taught photographers Tara Murray and Sara Mozeson, along with multidisciplinary artist Billy Waldman.

Other featured artists include Astor, Rachel Alban, Shayne Bovell, Dipa Debnath, Gabriel Fuentes, Antonio Gomez, Tony Iaccio, Issa Ibrahim, ZebunNesa Kamal, Daniel R. Mozeson, Nicolaus Myers, Fefa Românova, Davey Sandy and Della Wells.

“These works pulse with urban energy and unfettered creativity,” said Stavsky in a statement. Q

Artists meditate on sun and sadness in Maspeth

someone familiar with the island may leave with an even deeper understanding of the work,” Bogia said. His exhibit runs at 60-40 56 Drive, and he is set to open a sister show on Fire Island in July with almost all new works.

Over at Mrs.’ 60-19 56 Road location is “Good Grief,” Kate Barbee’s debut presentation at the gallery. Barbee said the title is sad, but with stressed and humorous

Crossword Answers

undertones — it describes her feelings as of late “pretty accurately,” she said.

“No one really says it anymore, yet as someone who reads the news and lives within the ecosystem of New York, I feel like we’ve been grieving collectively for a long time,” she said. “The feeling has become constant. Just because we’ve grown used to it doesn’t make it any less painful, and it adds another heavy layer to the hardships of everyday life.”

Her paintings cut into the heart of that grief and the process of working through it, she said. She cut and scratched the very surfaces of her works, including a cooltoned piece entitled “Nicotine Queen.”

Barbee said she explores freedom through color, such that no one would know she was working through her own grief while creating her works. They include vibrant reds, greens, pinks and more.

“In grief, so much of life can feel gray, or heavy and stagnant, but color allows for a kind of freedom that resists control and resists being silenced or minimized,” she said.

Barbee’s works are mostly abstract, but with discernable images. Among her inspirations was the idea of quilts as storytelling

Kate Barbee’s “Nicotine Queen,” left, and Chris Bogia’s “Boardwalk Composition (Snake Parade)” will adorn the walls of Mrs. in Maspeth through June 27. On the cover: The titular works in Bogia and Barbee’s respective exhibitions, “Fire Island Sun” and “Good Grief.” PHOTOS BY GC PHOTO, COURTESY THE

objects, especially ones in which personal messages are embedded in the structure.

“I do hope that someday my work can be vast, and dense enough for someone to just feel like they can just walk right into them, and live inside of it, and experience a

AND

sense of warmth, or comfort or acceptance,” she said.

Both shows run through June 27. One may visit mrsgallery.com, call (347) 8416149 or email hello@mrsgallery.com to learn more. Q

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Notice of Formation of LONG WAY CARRIER LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/03/2022. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LLC, 144-45 41ST AVE 4K, FLUSHING, NY 11355. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Legal Notices

LOST TITLE APPLICATION NO.: 2637200 10 September, 2024 OFFICE OF TITLES NOTICE PURSUANT TO SECTION 82 OF THE REGISTRATION OF TITLES ACT (RTA)

WHEREAS the applicant(s) in the above stated application has/have declared that the following duplicate Certificate of Title has been lost, I HEREBY GIVE NOTICE that I intend to cancel the said Certificate of Title and issue a new one in duplicate fourteen days after the last publication of this advertisement.

Volume: 1524

Folio: 182

Lot No: 56

Place: Part of Shenton Parish: St. Ann Registered proprietor(s): Jephta Mills

The following transactions lodged with this application will be registered pursuant to section 81 of the RTA: Transfer 2637199

L. Dunbar Deputy Registrar of Titles

Doubleu Labs, LLC Auth. filed w/ SSNY 4/15/26. Off. in Queens Co. Cert of Form filed w/ SSDE 3/31/26. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of LLC & mailed to Discern Registered Agent Inc., 1252 Forrest Ave, Dover, DE 19904. Add. maintd. in DE: 1252 Forrest Ave, Dover, DE 19904. Name & add. of auth. officer in DE where Cert of Form filed: SSDE, Div. of Corp, John G Townsend, Bldg, 401 Federal St, Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Any lawful purpose.

Notice is hereby given that a license, Application ID/Serial No. NA-0340-25-116932, for liquor, wine, beer, and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, wine, beer, and cider at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 41-08 Greenpoint Avenue, Sunnyside, New York 111043008 for on-premises consumption. City Chefs Events, Inc.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS MORGAN STANLEY MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST

Kennedy Pavilion RH LLC, D/B/A The Pavilion at Queens for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Queens Dialysis at The Pavilion, 36-17 Parsons Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354 informs the community of compliance with New York State and Federal laws of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, handicap, disability, blindness, source of sponsorship, source of payment, marital status, age, sexual preference, genetic predisposition, and/or carrier status in employment. Additionally, the facility does not discriminate and does not permit discrimination, including, but not limited to, bullying, abuse, harassment, or differential treatment on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status, or based on association with another individual on account of that individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status. You may file a complaint with the office of the New York State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program at the New York State office for the Aging Senior Citizen Toll Free Hotline at 1-800-342-9871 if you believe that you have experienced this kind of discrimination.

Notice is hereby given that an OnPremise Tavern Full Liquor License, NYS Application ID: NA-0370-26111145 has been applied for by SSP America, Inc. and SSP America JFK LLC serving beer, wine, cider, mead and liquor to be sold at retail for on premises consumption in a Tavern, for the premises located at JFK International Airport Terminal 4 Space CB26.1 Jamaica, NY 11430.

116th Management LLC

filed 2/23/26. Cty: Queens.

SSNY desig. for process

& shall mail to: 155-55

116th Rd, Jamaica, NY

11434. Purpose: any lawful.

2006-11, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, -against- BERTHA CECILIA LEMA, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on December 9, 2024, wherein MORGAN STANLEY MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST

2006-11, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE is the Plaintiff and BERTHA CECILIA LEMA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the QUEENS COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD, COURTROOM 25, JAMAICA, NY 11435, on June 12, 2026 at 10:00AM, premises known as 109-16 34TH AVENUE, CORONA, NY 11368; and the following tax map identification: 1753-8. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 709545/2019. Lois Marie Vitti, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS, The Bank of New York Mellon FKA The Bank of New York, as Trustee for the certificateholders of the CWABS, Inc., Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2007-10, Plaintiff, Against Yves-Merry Telemaque; Commissioner of Social Services of the City of New York Social Services District; Discover Bank; Estate of Cleo Veal, by Pub admin of Queens; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance; Bank of New York Mellon, John Doe and New York City Parking Violations Bureau, Defendant(s), Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 06/30/2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, in Courtroom #25 of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435, on 6/26/2026 at 10:00AM, premises known as 116-52 218th St., Cambria Heights, NY 11411, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. Block 11318, Lot 3, The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $885, 433.77 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 721638/2019 For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction. com or call (800) 280-2832. Michael A. Cervini, Esq., Referee. SHELDON MAY & ASSOCIATES, Attorneys at Law, 255 Merrick Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570. Dated: 4/8/2026, File Number: 36774 CA

Notice of Formation of CNPB GROUP LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/02/2026. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: CNPB GROUP LLC, 28-13 DITMARS BOULEVARD, ASTORIA, NY 11105 Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

EQUAL HOUSING. Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, familial status or disability in connection with the sale or rental of residential real estate. Queens Chronicle does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination call the Open Housing Center (the Fair Housing Agency for the five boroughs of New York) at 212941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718-722-3131.

The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.

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Legal Notices

Notice of Formation of AREUM SOCIETY LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/04/2025. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: REPUBLIC REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES INC, 54 STATE STREET, STE 804, ALBANY, NY, 12207. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Aura Medical Of New York, PLLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/16/2025. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LLC, 23-25 31ST STREET, SUITE 800, ASTORIA, NY 11105. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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Legal Notices

Notice of formation of FIVE BOROUGH VENTURES LLC. Art. Of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/12/26. Office in Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 2840 JACKSON AVE. APT 34F, LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, 11101. Purpose: Any lawful purpose

Notice of formation of Grand Palm Enterprises LLC, a domestic LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on April 22, 2026. Office location: Queens. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 154-36 23rd Avenue, Whitestone, New York, 11357. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, HARRY ENTERPRISE INC, Plaintiff, vs. MAX RAHAMAN REALTY, LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 16, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Supreme Courthouse, on the second floor in Courtroom 25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on June 12, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., premises known as 127-20 Liberty Avenue, Richmond Hill a/k/a South Ozone Park, NY 11419. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 9581 and Lot 10. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,398,418.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #703419/2021. Lois Marie Vitti, Esq., Referee. Margolin, Weinreb & Nierer, LLP, 575 Underhill Boulevard, Suite 224, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

6 SMITH LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/18/26. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 31-11 35th Street, Astoria, NY 11106. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of AHASTEY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/20/2026. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 24-39 38th St, D2, New York, NY 11103. Legalzoom Usca, Inc. desig. as agent for SOP 45 Main Street, Suite 238, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE Supreme Court County of Queens Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST Drupatee Rampersad, Rick Rampersad, et al, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 17, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the Queens County Courthouse, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Second Floor Courtroom 25, Jamaica, NY 11435 on June 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM premises known as 104-12 121st Street, South Richmond Hill a/k/a Richmond Hill, NY 11419. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the County of Queens, City and State of New York, BLOCK: 9574, LOT: 11. Approximate amount of judgment is $663,104.65 plus interests and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 720229/2024. This sale may be subject to the US Dept of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Real Estate Reporting Rule. In such event, all purchasers are required to provide the information needed for proper reporting in accordance with the terms of sale. For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832. Richard Gutierrez, Referee FRENKEL LAMBERT WEISMAN & GORDON LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-100156-F00 89969

Notice of Formation of JMEDDY LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/24/2026. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: NORTHWEST REGISTERED AGENT LLC, 418 BROADWAY, STE N, ALBANY, NY 12207. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Legal Notices Legal Notices

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF CSMC 2021RPL8 TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. FRANCES CHARBONIER, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on February 27, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Supreme Courthouse, on the second floor in Courtroom 25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on June 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., premises known as 91-16 91st Avenue, Woodhaven a/k/a Jamaica, NY 11421. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 8985 and Lot 8. Approximate amount of judgment is $451,541.33 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #710670/2023. Lois M. Vitti, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff

LE BON PAIN, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/01/08. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 211-65 Jamaica Avenue, Queens Village, New York 11428. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of MANSKEN DESIGN LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/14/2026. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: ALEKSEI V ROSSIISKII, 4917 67TH STREET, WOODSIDE, NY 11377. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NORTH CONDUIT BG LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/20/2026. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Umulnisa Bukhari, 219-25 North Conduit Ave., Springfield Gardens, NY 11413. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of OBS EVENTS LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/17/2026. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: OSCAR MARTINEZ RUIZ, 24436 88TH ROAD, BELLEROSE, NY 11426. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

SAHIB PROPERTY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/27/26. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 3947 Miller Place, Levittown, NY 11756. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of SD GLOBALEDU LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/21/2026. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: LEKI, 76-11 37TH AVENUE, JACKSON HEIGHTS, NEW YORK CITY, NY 11372. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF QUEENS BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST v. EILEEN HOWELL-LEE, et al, Defendants. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale (the “Judgment”) entered on December 15, 2025. I, the undersigned Referee will sell in one parcel at public auction to be held at Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York 11435 on June 26, 2026 at 10:00am, the premises described by said Judgment to be sold and therein described as follows: ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land situate, lying and being in the Borough of and County of Queens, City and State of New York, known and designated as Lot No. 1638 and part of lot No. 1639 as shown and designated on a certain Map entitled, “Map of St. Albans, Heights, Addition No. 3, Property of Greater New York Homes Company, surveyed November, 1905 by Robert Kurz, C.B. & S.,” and filed in the Office of the Clerk of Queens County on November 28, 1908, as Map No. 706 and No. 1481, which lot and part of lot, when taken together are bounded and described as follow: BEGINNING at a point on the Easterly side of 192nd Street, formerly Queens Street, distant 225 feet Northerly from the corner formed by the intersection of the Easterly side of 192nd Street and the Northerly side of 118th Avenue formerly Carter Avenue. RUNNING THENCE Easterly parallel with 118th Avenue, 100 feet; THENCE Northerly parallel with 192nd Street, 37 feet 6 inches; THENCE Westerly again parallel with 118th Avenue, 100 feet to the Easterly side of 192nd Street; THENCE Southerly along the Easterly side of 192nd Street, 37 feet 6 inches to the point or place of BEGINNING. Said Premises known as 117-19 192nd Street; Saint Albans, NY 11412. (Block 12609 Lot 40) The amount due as per the Judgment on the mortgage is the sum of $834,984.81, plus interest, and Plaintiff’s advances, costs and expenses, all due as per the Judgment. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the Judgment and terms of sale. Index No.: 712495/2023; David Woycik Jr., Esq, Referee Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP Robert J. Malatak, Esq. Attorney(s) for Plaintiff Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. as Trustee for Mortgage Assets Management Series I Trust 156 West 56th Street New York, New York 10019 Tel: (212) 237-1000