Queens honors life, legacy of Tyre Nichols

“Enough is enough,” attendees say at candlelight vigil

By Jessica Meditz

jmeditz@queensledger.com

On a chilly Monday evening, Queens leaders and community residents gathered at Borough Hall in Kew Gardens to honor the life and legacy of Tyre Nichols with a candlelight vigil.

The 29-year-old father, photographer and FedEx worker had a fatal encounter with police in Memphis, Tennessee on Jan. 7, being brutally beaten by five officers during a traffic stop.

The body camera footage of the incident was just released this past Friday, sparking outrage and calls for justice across the nation.

The fate of Nichols, a Black man, has been compared to that of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor – both of whom died at the hands of police.

The five officers involved in the beating of Nichols have been fired and charged with murder. As the investigation continued, additional officers and EMS personnel have been relieved of their duties in relation to his death.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, a Black man and father to a young son, delivered emotional remarks to the people in attendance. He recalled his own stop-and-frisk encounter at the age of 13, when he had guns drawn on him – because he fit the description of a robber.

Richards was moved to tears as he honored Nichols and reflected his own experiences as a Black man with the police.

He thanked all attendees for showing up and commended the diversity seen in the crowd.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do this, because we often go through this alone – behind closed doors,” Richards said with tearful eyes.

“I held my son a little tighter trying to prepare myself to watch that video. It weighed heavy.”

Richards said that even as people try to come up with theories as to why Nichols was stopped, it does not matter why – and he did not deserve to die.

“[Nichols’ mother] carried the strength of Emmett Till’s mom as I heard her speak. We’ve been on these steps too many times, and this trauma doesn’t get easier,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re Borough President…it doesn’t matter how much legislation we pass, we always live with this.”

He called for the passing of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, restrict the use of certain policing practices, enhance transparency and data collection and establish best practices and training requirements, according to its summary.

Richards also demanded the end to qualified immunity, and denounced the plan of NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell to weaken the department’s disciplinary guidelines.

“This is about one standard. One law that works for everyone,” he said.

Councilman James Gennaro echoed Richards’ sentiments, calling for justice and equity for America’s Black community.

Gennaro, 65, says he remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination “like it was yesterday,” and has seen much injustice throughout his lifetime and years of public service.

“Everyone here is trying to make a little bit of a difference by being here – holding onto one another, recognizing the work that still needs to be done, by joining together in prayer for the Nichols family, and all the Tyre Nichols out there that we don’t know about,” he said. “Every day, right now, somebody’s getting pulled over, something’s happening that shouldn’t happen…I don’t want to stand here at 75 years old saying the same thing.”

Richards opened up the space for members of the community to speak to the crowd, where several mothers, fathers, faith leaders and local advocates took the opportunity to grieve together.

“This is another shameful moment in America, and for all of us. When will this tragedy stop? It can stop when we all say ‘enough is enough,’ when police killings change to police protection, when hearts and minds are changed,” said Ashook Ramsaran, executive vice president at Queens Civic Congress.

“This should not happen again and we must make sure of that,” he continued. “To the Nichols family, we feel, we grieve and we mourn with you.”

Lori Zeno, executive director at Queens Defenders, has worked in the criminal justice system for 35 years. She said that she’s lost count of the amount of times clients have informed her over the years about the beatings, name calling and disrespect by police.

“Lives are being ruined, hearts are being broken and spirits are being broken, for what? Because we have a police department who, not all police, but many of our police are brutal and they think that if they are stopping you, or you are in their way, or you’re Black or Brown, that you don’t have a right to live,” she said.

Zeno is angry and appalled at the delayed response of EMS personnel to aid and transport Nichols to the hospital, as well as the fact that his mother had to see her son’s head swollen to the size of a watermelon.

She called on all those in attendance to reach out to the powers that be, including the police commissioner, Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul, all local officials and even President Joe Biden to bring police brutality to a full stop and remove all current officers with previous offenses.

Groups of attendees showed up with signs that read “Your silence is violence” and “If you were peaceful, we wouldn’t have to protest,” adorned with flowers and photos of Nichols’ smiling face.

Saxophonist Steven Salcedo serenaded the audience with familiar, sentimental music, including closing out with “Amazing Grace” in Nichols’ memory.

Pol introduces bill to ban e-bikes, e-scooters

Cites lithium-ion battery fires, traffic violations

By Jessica Meditz

jmeditz@queensledger.com

The 104th Precinct continues to confiscate illegal e-bikes from the streets. (Photo: @NYPD104Pct, Twitter)

While members of the City Council examine ways to regulate e-vehicles and make their lithium-ion batteries safer for New Yorkers, one councilman in particular looks to ban the notorious vehicles entirely.

Councilman Robert Holden, a Democrat representing Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, Woodhaven and Woodside in District 30, introduced legislation that would repeal regulations that allow e-bikes and e-scooters to be driven in New York City.

The bill would also restore the fines for e-bike and e-scooter violations from the current civil penalty of $250 to the original amount of $500.

Holden cites a disregard of traffic laws, excessive fires caused by lithium-ion batteries and a diminished quality of life as reasons for proposing this legislation. The bill is co-sponsored by Queens Councilmembers James Gennaro and Vickie Paladino, as well as Councilwoman Althea Stevens in the Bronx.

“People are getting killed, and these things are causing accidents,” Holden told the Queens Ledger back in June. “It’s becoming like a third world country, because anything goes in the streets of New York.”

“My goal is to get rid of these illegal scooters. The cops have to cooperate and confiscate them,” he added.

In addition to restoring fines for violations, Holden calls on state legislators to pass laws that would require registration, insurance coverage and licensing for e-vehicles to be permitted back on the road.

On Jan. 21, the 104th Precinct within the district took to Twitter to reveal that its officers confiscated several illegal, unregistered e-bikes from the streets, making arrests for reckless driving and other traffic violations.

In addition to traffic safety, the e-bikes pose a threat to public safety in that the lithium-ion batteries that power them have caused serious fires across Queens.

Attempting to save money, people often purchase batteries that are used. However, if their components are not compatible with one another, it could lead to overheating and fires.

Just recently, two lithium-ion battery fires occurred in Queens, one in East Elmhurst on Jan. 20, and another in Kew Gardens Hills on Jan. 25. In the East Elmhurst fire, one person died and 10 were injured, and the Kew Gardens Hills fire impacted an in-home daycare facility where 18 children were left injured.

In 2022, nearly 200 fires were caused by lithium-ion batteries, according to the FDNY.

Among the proposed City Council bills to regulate the sale of these batteries includes one that would prohibit the sale of batteries for mobility devices, unless such batteries have been listed and labeled by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or other approved organization.

One co-sponsor of the bill is Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Republican representing District 32. While she feels e-bikes negatively impact the quality of life for her constituents, she doesn’t feel that completely banning them is the answer.

“I’m a realist, so I don’t know if banning them is realistic, but I do know that regulating and requiring them to be registered and insured is much more viable,” she said in an interview.

Holden also co-sponsored this bill.

“The scourge of these devices throughout our city has led to people disregarding traffic laws resulting in injuries or death, lithium ion-based fires that killed several people and injured hundreds, and a feeling of disorder on our streets and sidewalks as well as a diminished quality of life,” Holden said in a statement. “We must ensure that these vehicles are operated safely before allowing them back on our streets.”

Exclusive: 1-year-interview with Joann Ariola

New district lines include slivers of Glendale

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

Joann Ariola. (Photo: council.nyc.gov)

Last year, Joann Ariola comfortably sailed to victory to represent City Council District 32 – which stretches from Belle Harbor up to Southeast Queens nabes like Howard Beach, Ozone Park and Woodhaven.

The Queens Republican bested Democratic candidate Felicia Singh, capturing over 67 percent of the vote in a district previously represented by fellow Republican Eric Ulrich since 2009.

Although she was just elected to her first term last year: Ariola has been a long time presence in the community. A lifelong resident of the district, Ariola, 64, previously served the president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association and as the Chairwoman of the Queens Republican Party.

Our paper dedicated to catch up with Ariola to discuss her first year in office as well as discuss upcoming initiatives.

“What surprised me most was [after my first year] how well, a body of 51 people who come from different backgrounds and ideologies can really pull together to make a better city,” Ariola said in a recent Zoom interview.

While Ariola is one of a handful of Republicans in the Democrat denominated city council, she said that she often takes a bipartisan approach to legislating, citing her position on the Common Sense Caucus – a group of conservative and center-leaning legislators, which include registered Democrats like Bob Holden and Kalman Yeger.

In her first year in office, Ariola has been the first primary sponsor of five pieces of legislation and two resolutions. One of Ariola’s bills, a law that requires the Fire Department to survey firehouses on whether they have gender specific bathrooms for female firefighters, was passed by the council and signed by the Mayor last year.

“And the mayor has already signed that into law and you know, that had widespread bipartisan support. Why? because it’s common sense. That’s how I approach things,” Ariola said.

Ariola also wrote a bill that would create an office of Marine Debris Disposal and Vessel Surrendering, which would be responsible for coordinating between federal, state and local authorities to remove debris from New York City’s shores; find ways to recycle and reuse the material; as well as developing new practices to prevent the act.

While the bill is still in committee, it has been sponsored by a majority of the council. Ariola told BQE Media that she expects the bill to pass before the end of February.

“We cannot win in this district, a Republican cannot win without Democrat and Independent voters,” Ariola said, who represents a district where over 50 percent of voters are registered Democrats.

“I ran on three major points to the platform: public safety, quality of life and education. Those are the three top subjects when we were knocking on doors – that’s what people cared about most,” she continued. “And that resonated with the voters. It didn’t matter their background – any type of ethnic background, religious background, or enrollment in a party.”

In respect to quality of life issues, Ariola said she has tackled the issue by funding additional cleanups in both commercial districts and residential streets in the neighborhood. While the issue has not fully been addressed, she said the city is in the procurement phases to get cameras to monitor chronic dumping areas throughout the district. She also emphasized working with the Queens Economic Development Program to clean up graffiti in the district.

While 2022 issues largely centered around public safety, Ariola said that quality of life issues and the economy. Specifically, Ariola said that she is looking into taxes and contributing reasons to why New Yorkers are leaving for other states.

Ariola exclusively told BQE Media that she will be sponsoring legislation that would require Deliveristas to have to register their vehicles and have them insured.

While Ariola is repping many of the same neighborhoods as previous years, her district lines have added slivers of Glendale and Woodhaven while losing parts of Ozone Park.

Ariola represents District 32. The grey lines are what she currently represents. If reelected in 2024, she would represent the area outlined in purple. (Map: NYC.redstrictingandyou.com, from the Graduate Center at CUNY)

While Ariola hasn’t represented Glendale before, she said one of the local issues she would focus on would be monitoring the Cooper Rapid Rehousing Center, which has drawn the ire of locals.

“I will work as hard for the Glendale homeless shelter, the one that is just across the border in Woodhaven as as I do for the one in Rockaway to make sure that the people who are running the shelters are held accountable for their their population, and that their population is not an at risk population for our host community,” said Ariola.

In response to a question about representing the new areas, Ariola noted that despite being in different nabes, her constituents have similar issues across the district.

“I realized that there are some areas that are more specific in their issues than others, but they don’t want the loud noise from cars,” she said. “So it’s noise complaints. It’s garbage complaints. It’s the fact that construction may be being done on a school.”

Mayor unveils ‘working people’s agenda’

Mayor announces new policies at Queens Theatre during State of the City

By Matthew Fischetti

mfischetti@queensledger.com

Mayor Eric Adams returned to his home borough of Queens last Thursday to give his second state of the city address, in which he unveiled his “working people’s agenda.”

The announcement, first kicked off by numerous cultural dance routines, was attended by over a hundred different elected officials, civic leaders and other major city players at Queens Theatre last Thursday.

The mayor broke  his agenda into four major categories, in which he touted previous successes and laid out future policy proposals: jobs, quality of life, housing and care.

JOBS

Among the biggest announcements in his Jobs category was the news that New York City is pursuing a first-in-the-nation biotech startup at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The 50,000 square foot space will provide office space, events and programming, with an emphasis on recruiting women and people of color into the industry.

Adams also announced that the city will work with the City University of New York to support 30,000 nurses entering the workforce over the next five years. According to federal government estimates, there will be 275,000 more nurses needed by 2030.

Adams also plans to tackle employment rate disparities for disabled and Black New Yorkers.

The unemployment rate for Black New Yorkers is at least three times as high as for white New Yorkers. This era of inequality must end,” Mayor Adams said. “We are going to make sure that all New Yorkers finally have access to good jobs.”

A new “Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion” will help connect 2,500 people with disabilities to jobs and improving workplace accessibility. The Mayor also wants to double the rate of contracts for minority and women-owned businesses, which would dole out $25billion over the next four years, per the Mayor’s announcement.

Adams also plans on launching a new apprenticeship program, which aims to get 30,000 New Yorkers apprenticeships across various industries by 2030.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Mayor Adams made several big announcements in terms of improving quality of life for New Yorkers. First of which was the announcement of a new “director of the public realm” which will be a city position focusing on public spaces.

By the end of 2023, Mayor Adams announced that the city will launch a citywide curbside composting program. A pilot of the program was rolled out earlier last year in Queens.

Adams also said that he will focus on getting ‘New York’s Most Wanted’, 1700 people identified by the city as committing a disproportionate amount of violent crime, off the streets.

Adams also indicated that he would throw support behind state level legislation to tackle dangerous drivers. Albany last year passed the 24/7 speed camera legislation, which Adams said led to a 25-percent decrease in speeding.

The new legislation is comprised of 6 bills that would would increase penalties for severe crashes and provision that allow vehicle registration to be suspended if five or more red light camera violations are committed within a 12-month span.

Hizzoner also announced that the entirety of Uber and Lyft drivers will have to have zero-emission vehicles by 2030 at no cost for drivers.

Housing

Mayor Eric Adams’s housing plan largely built off of his previously released plan to “Get Stuff Built”, which aims to build 500,000 new homes over the next decade.

Adams also announced that $22 million was allocated for tenant protection programs in order to investigate and enforce against bad landlords and help tenants from being pushed out of rent-regulated apartments.

“Building new housing is essential for our future, but we also need to address the housing crisis in the here and now. That means protecting tenants and helping New Yorkers stay in their homes,” Adams said.

Adams also announced that the city’s free tax preparation program was expanded to process an additional 26,000 returns and that his administration would pursue legislation allowing New Yorkers to retain benefits for up to six months after taking a new job.

CARE

Throughout his mayoralty, Adams has constantly dealt with the issue of homelessness in the city, announcing sweeps and safety teams to monitor the subway.

In his announcement, Adams unveiled a new plan to allow homeless New Yorkers to get a free health insurance program. The administration argues that the program will help connect homeless New Yorkers with more cost-efficient care.

The Mayor also announced a plan to open Clubhouses for New Yorkers with severe mental illness in order to provide “peer support and access to services.” The new ‘clubhouses’ are part of a broader mental health plan that the mayor said will be released within the next few weeks.

“This coming year is about expanding that vision of what can get done and what will get done. It means building a strong foundation that supports today’s realities and anticipates tomorrow’s needs,” Adams said. “City government must work to improve the public good, supporting an economy that works for all”

Subway crime down, officials say

By Matthew Fischetti

Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul hold a press conference in the Fulton Street Subway Station to announce significant progress in making the subway system safer on Friday, January 27, 2023. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Major subway crime has dropped by 16 percent since last October, city and state officials announced last week.

At a press conference in Manhattan, Governor Hochul and Adams announced that the crime rate has reached pre pandemic levels, which the electeds credited to the launch of their “Cops, Cameras and Care program.” The plan added 1,2000 cops to the subways over 300 subway stops across the city and added additional trainings for NYPD and MTA employees.

The Atlantic Terminal station and the Sutphin-Archer Station in Brooklyn and Queens will have MTA police at the station, “freeing up roughly 100 NYPD officers for deployments at other priority transit locations on trains and in stations,” per the announcement.

In 2019, the rate of crime was 1.5 crimes per million rider; In 2022, the rate was 2.3 crimes per million riders; and in 2023 the ridership adjusted rate is only 1.7 crimes per million riders, according to figures unveiled by officials on Friday.

“So, despite all these facts, I can’t tell New Yorkers they should feel safe. I’m not going to even do that,” Governor Hochul said. “But the data is showing that New Yorkers are telling us they feel safer, and that’s what I’m going to pay attention to.”

MTA honcho Janno Lieber  said that through survey findings, the department found that around 60 percent of riders said they felt safe in November compared to previous results finding only around 40 percent of riders said the same in October.

100 cameras are currently planned to be installed across subway cars as part of the Governor and Mayor’s plans. The entire 6,500 car fleet is scheduled to have cameras installed by late 2024.

“We had a billion people that rode our system last year, but we have 3.9 million daily riders, an average of six crimes a day. It didn’t matter if those numbers were there. The reality was that people said they felt unsafe,” said Mayor Adams. “So we had to have a dual approach. We had to deal with how people felt and we had to deal with the actual six crimes, felony crimes we were having on average a day, and that was our dual approach.

Governor Hochul also announced that the state will create 25 more bed-units, to bring the total of inpatient beds to 50. The beds are a key part of critical time intervention, a model used by clinicians for decades that helps transition people during turbulent times. The model was first developed to provide care for  individuals facing chronic homelessness.

Forest Park: 128 Years of Beauty and History

By Ed Wendell

The Forest Park Golf Course, one of the few public golf courses in New York City, has been a big part of the Woodhaven landscape for 127 years. Forest Park itself is 128 years old and is rich with history and beauty.

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of giving a presentation on the history of Forest Park to a large group of volunteers who help maintain and beautify our park, which is now entering its 128th year. For a combination of beauty and history in Woodhaven, you’d be hard pressed to beat Forest Park.

Although much of Forest Park’s 538 acres consists of natural woodland, the park itself was planned and designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Originally envisioned as one giant, continuous park stretching from Brooklyn all the way to Jamaica (and originally called Brooklyn Forest), changes in population and the resulting development reduced the scope of that plan.

A nine-hole golf course was opened to the public and by 1905, the popularity of the golf course would prompt it to expand to 18 holes, originally stretching south all the way to Ashland Avenue, where residential homes marked the start of Woodhaven proper.

As part of the expansion, a Dutch Colonial golf clubhouse was built on the course in 1905 by the architectural firm of Helmle, Huberty & Hudswell, who also designed the landmark Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower in Brooklyn.

The golf course is still active and the beautiful clubhouse today is called Oak Ridge and serves as the home of the Forest Park Administration offices.

If you go east from the old clubhouse, you’ll eventually reach the Seuffert Bandshell (pronounced Soy-fert), a near 100-year old bandstand named after bandleader George Seuffert Sr.

For many years, Seuffert and his band entertained people at the bandshell and it was officially named in his honor in 1979.

A little further along, you’ll come across the Forest Park Carousel, which was designated as a landmark by the City of New York ten years ago, in 2013.

Artistically, the Forest Park Carousel is particularly notable as it was the handiwork of the legendary master carver Daniel Muller. Muller came to the United States from Germany as a child in the 1880s and as a young man he and his brother worked for Gustav Dentzel, a renowned carousel builder in his own right.

Dentzel’s father built carousels back in Germany going back to the mid-18th century. Muller took advantage of the opportunity to learn all of these old-world skills from Dentzel and blended it with his own realistic style to carve out a name for himself and in 1903, D.C. Muller and Bro. Company was founded.

Muller’s carvings were notable not only for being very beautiful and realistic; in some cases the carvings were militaristic, with horses sporting bugles, swords and canteens.

Over 14 years, D.C. Muller and Bro. created over a dozen carousels but, sadly, today only two remain: one in Cedar Point, Ohio, and ours right here in Forest Park.

The Forest Park Carousel contains three rows of carvings; the outer row contains 13 standing horses, three menagerie animals and two chariots. The inner two rows each contain 18 jumping horses (for a total of 36).

While the Forest Park Carousel is often referred to as a Muller carousel, you will also find a few carvings from Dentzel and Charles Carmel, another notable carousel artist of the same era, on the inner two rows.

Not far from the carousel you will find one of the most beautiful spots in New York City, the Greenhouse at Forest Park, which was designed by legendary greenhouse builders Lord & Burnham, who also built the New York Botanical Garden, the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C., and the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh.

Flowers and plants throughout parks in Queens and Brooklyn are grown right here, as they have been for over 100 years.

And if you continue walking east you will cross Woodhaven Boulevard and reach Victory Field, a large recreation complex with baseball fields, a running track, and a handball court. Victory Field was named after the Unknown Soldier of World War 1.

Today the track portion of Victory Field is named after longtime Woodhaven Assemblyman, the legendary Frederick D. Schmidt.

Forest Park is full of beauty, but it is also full of history and visitors to the park 100 years ago would be pleasantly surprised to see so much of their history preserved and beloved by the current residents of Woodhaven and the many volunteers that tend to the park.

If you are interested in this presentation we will be repeating it via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. Email us at woodhavenhistory@gmail.com for a free invite.

Councilwoman, cops burn illegal weed shops

By Jessica Meditz

jmeditz@queensledger.com

Paladino joined NYPD officers to raid two Whitestone smoke shops last week, Photo via @VickieforNYC, Twitter)

Two smoke shops in Whitestone were busted for selling to underaged children, marijuana products while unlicensed, along with illegal substances, the local councilwoman reported on social media.

Vickie Paladino, a Republican representing District 19, shared a video to Twitter saying she worked alongside Mayor Eric Adams’ office and New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda to raid the troublesome joints in the community.

The two smoke shops, Izzy Convenience Shop at 14-05 Parsons Boulevard and Stoney Smoke Shop at 14-03 150th Street got “cleaned out,” according to Paladino, and cops confiscated products that included cannabis and hallucinatory mushrooms

In another tweet, she claimed that these stores were “centers of gang and illegal activity,” as well as the subject of numerous community complaints.

“I look forward to many, many more…my eyes are everywhere; my feet go everywhere,” Paladino said.

She thanked everyone involved in the feat including the sheriff, his officers and Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, and assured her followers that there’d be “more to come.”

“Great news: we killed two shops. They’ll be open, probably, tomorrow, but for now, they were emptied out,” she said upon concluding the video.

New York State first legalized recreational marijuana use in 2021, and the first legal dispensaries opened up in the city over the course of the last month.

It is still illegal to sell marijuana products without a license.

Ice Theatre of New York brings free performances to NYC students

By Stephanie Meditz

news@queensledger.com

Ice Theatre of New York’s New Works and Young Artists Series brings free ice dancing performances and lessons to NYC public school students.

Beginning on Feb. 2, Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) will begin its New Works and Young Artists Series (NWYAS) for the first time in three years. 

The program gives the gift of ice dance to NYC public school students by providing them with free live performances by ITNY professionals and ice skating lessons. 

“Its goal is to introduce underserved public school students to skating on ice,” executive director Jirina Ribbens said. “And beyond just regular skating activity, to give them arts exposure to what we call dancing on ice, which is beautiful, choreographed performances and expressive movement on the ice.” 

ITNY’s mission is to establish ice dancing as an art form rather than a competitive sport or recreational activity. 

It is a repertory company that works with choreographers from both the dance and skating worlds, meaning that a choreographer might set a piece on one performer and reset the same piece on a different performer years later. 

“As a repertory company, you come in and you have to just learn all the different repertory that we are performing that season,” Ribbens said. “So it’s really truly like a dance company.” 

Ice Theatre of New York was the first company in the nation to be recognized as a non-profit dance company and is one of few dance companies that dances on ice. 

NWYAS performances include young apprentices who are close in age to the attending students, so they can see the possibility of their own progression. 

Ribbens said that NWYAS is many students’ first time ice skating. 

Ice Theatre of New York gives many students the opportunity to ice skate for the first time.

“We teach them how to safely fall and then to get up again on the ice,” she said. “The program is really inspiring for the children as well as for our performers because they feel like rock stars when the children respond to their performances, especially the young performers.” 

The New Works and Young Artists Series is open to NYC public schools, mainly Title 1 schools, and students visit their local ice rink as a class during the school day. 

The program will visit Lakeside in Prospect Park and City Ice Pavilion in Long Island City, as well as several rinks in Manhattan. 

ITNY also began virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, which it has continued this year. 

“That reaches the children in the other boroughs or people who are further away from the rink,” Ribbens said. “And not all schools have bussing programs or are able to come to do the live programming. So we reach out to those schools with the virtual program where they get to watch a short video and then we teach them in their classroom how to fall and get up. It’s actually hilarious.” 

Ribbens is grateful that the program is operating in-person again, but during the pandemic, the virtual program was a nice change for students whose classes were strictly online. 

“They got to ask all these questions from the performers and they got to see exciting videos,” she said. “We didn’t know how it was going to be received, but it was very well-received. The teachers loved it because it really gave them a different thing to do with the children during the pandemic.”

By bringing ice dancing to students’ neighborhoods, ITNY hopes to spark their love for it and inspire them to continue skating. 

“We introduce them to their local rinks and then we say, ‘Look, come back, come skate again,’” Ribbens said. “Not only is it an activity that they can do safely outdoors in the winter, but they can also learn about all the different jobs that are at the rink, from ticket taker to zamboni driver, which is usually everybody’s favorite.”
In addition to the New Works and Young Artists Series, ITNY offers weekly classes at Bryant Park and Sky Rink during the season. 

It also holds several concerts to engage the community, including one at Bryant Park on Feb. 21 during Kids’ Week that spotlights young performers. 

“We cater the programming to the audiences that are coming, but they’re all free,” Ribbens said. “We try to reach as many audiences as possible. We’ve even done programming at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. They have a small synthetic ice surface.” 

To learn more about ITNY’s programming, visit https://www.icetheatre.org, e-mail itny@icetheatre.org or call (212)-929-5811.

Spotlight on music & media agent Ken Franklin

Son of living landmark Bea Franklin shares unique business

By Michael Perlman

mperlman@queensledger.com

Ken Franklin with News 12 LI reporter Jenn Seelig, cameraman Michael & 98 years young SuperMom Bea Franklin, Jan 27, 2023

In last week’s column, a dynamic 98-years-young former Forest Hills resident Bea Franklin shared a treasure trove of local memories and an extensive family history, which encompassed everything from first-hand photos of the Holocaust and political dignitaries to the founding of Pep Boys and Strauss Stores.

Now it is time to step behind the scenes with her son, Ken (Kenjamin) Franklin, a notable music and media agent of RadioActive Talent, Inc., who interviews and represents diverse and influential figures.

“It is really exciting to know that I am able to work with musicians responsible for the music that I have always loved listening to on the radio. I am proud to call them my friends. It’s great how I can land them concert bookings and interviews,” said Franklin, who estimates working with at least 50 influential figures, among many other talented personalities.

Ken Franklin with Cyndi Lauper’s boyfriend/manager David Wolff along with Millennium Records talent Captain Chameleon, 1981

Besides singer-songwriters, his career feels like an intriguing journey, as he makes a difference for bands, best-selling authors, comedians and broadcasters.

Franklin was born in Kew Gardens General Hospital and spent much time exploring Forest Hills with his family.

His first home was in Jamaica Estates with “SuperMom” Bea, father Jerry Franklin and older brothers Rick and Bruce.

Then he relocated to Lawrence, New York, where his mother and brothers continue to call home.

Today, he resides and works in Manhattan, but feels that he left his heart in Queens.

“I love wearing my Queens land F train t-shirt,” he said.

Franklin takes pride in working with Academy and/or Grammy award-winners that had #1 hit songs, such as Franke Previte and former Queens resident John DeNicola, who composed “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” and “Hungry Eyes” (the former on his Juno 106 keyboard in Queens) for the 1987 film, “Dirty Dancing.”

Ken Franklin with Academy Award winning singer_songwriter (Dirty Dancing) Franke Previte & TV host Donna Drake

Additionally, he worked with past Queens resident Stacy Widelitz, who co-wrote “She’s Like The Wind” with the late actor, Patrick Swayze, for the film.

“These are among the biggest songs in the history of film,” Franklin said.

Last August, Franklin worked with the Parks Department to screen the film in Washington Square Park for an audience of 500.

Prior to the screening, attendees enjoyed the debut of an exclusive interview with the three composers and Patrick Swayze’s widow, Lisa Swayze. It was moderated by iHeart Radio personality Jeff Stevens.

Over the years, Franklin has booked popular “yacht rock” band Ambrosia among others in destinations including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris and Asia.

Ambrosia is an American rock, jazz fusion and blue-eyed soul band founded in 1970 in Los Angeles, which continues to make international appearances.

This year, Franklin is producing “We Yacht For You” concerts (www.RadioTV.com) starring several of his hit-making friends.

Ken as a commercial FM radio air talent & music director on Texas’ KNCN C101 with 20-time Grammy winner Carlos Santana, along with RadioActive friend Mando, 1977

One influential author that Franklin represents and lands interviews for is Illinois resident Jim Summaria, who is also a rock ‘n’ roll and corporate photographer and a co-host at WHRU, 101.5 FM.

One of his notable published works is a book titled “Classic Rock Photographs from Yesterday & Today,” which also features text by Mark Plotnick.

Summaria photographed legendary musicians ranging from Led Zeppelin, Heart and The Who to Bob Dylan, Genesis and Paul McCartney.

Another client of Franklin is author Bill Schnee, who wrote “Chairman At The Board – Recording The Soundtrack of A Generation,” which features creatively titled chapters including “I’ve Got the Music in Me” and “The Greatest Love of All.”

“He is a two-time Grammy winner who worked with many famous stars, such as The Beatles, Whitney Houston, Miles Davis and Steely Dan [which includes Forest Hills’ own Walter Carl Becker],” Franklin said.

Franklin has many fond memories of Forest Hills and nearby. He and his parents were close friends of Rocky Graziano (1919 – 1990), who ranked 23rd in The Ring magazine of the greatest punchers of all time, and was recognized for taking down an opponent with a single punch.

Franklin reminisced, “Rocky was a world champion middleweight boxer and a popular TV celebrity. Along with his wife Norma, they lived in Parker Towers, a few blocks from the T-Bone Diner, where we would eat. My dad took me to Rocky’s apartment to show me the display case of his gold belts. He and his wife ended up coming to my Bar Mitzvah, a formal affair at Temple Israel in Lawrence, New York.”

Graziano was also seen on a memorable segment of “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson in December 1981.

Anticipating the reopening of the T-Bone Diner [and Delicatessen], he said, “Maybe when the diner reopens, SuperMom Bea can share with the cook the special ingredients in her prized matzah brei. In fact, she can make it right in the kitchen. Maybe they can name a dish after her, such as the Bubbie Bea Special.”

Franklin and his mother plan to visit in the summer.

Shopping and dining in “The Village,” centered along Austin Street in Forest Hills were other outstanding memories.

“I would eat with my grandparents at The Stratton. I also enjoyed seeing a hamburger come to me on a train at Hamburger Express, and then going to the Elliot Shop for clothes and Stride Rite for a new pair of shoes,” he said.

He also has fond memories of patronizing Addie Vallins, an ice cream parlor and candy shop on Continental Avenue.

He continued, “I would go to the iconic Horn & Hardart Retail Shop at 71-63 Austin Street. My mom would get me jelly donuts or rice or bread pudding.”

A sum of 180 H&H Automat self-service cafeterias once dotted New York and Philadelphia.

He pinpointed another tradition. “I would attend the annual Mayor’s Trophy Game at Shea Stadium and also go to the Lemon Ice King in Corona, and I still go back there.”

As for the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, which will celebrate its centennial this year, he saw Chris Evert, an American former world No. 1 play in 1977.

Franklin is grateful for his friendship with members of the Grammy Award-winning band, Bruce Hornsby & The Range. They invited him to their Alumni Hall concert at St. John’s University in 1991.

Another highlight was representing Alison Steele (1937 – 1995), who became known as “The Nightbird,” a notable radio personality on WNEW-FM in New York City and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

“I first met her at a concert in Forest Park. Ali was an inspiration to me, as I was getting involved in radio. Then in the early 1990s, I became her talent agent and secured broadcast commercials for her,” Franklin reminisced.

In 2004, Franklin booked a Beatles tribute band at the Ridgewood branch of Ridgewood Savings Bank’s parking lot, followed by another engagement at Terrace on the Park, not long after.

“The later event also functioned as a fundraiser to restore World’s Fair history. As a talent and media agent, I ended up booking The Beatles tribute bands twice in Queens, where my life began, and ironically, The Beatles played nearby at Shea Stadium,” he said.

Life-changing events were what told him that he had to get involved in the music and media business.

He explained, “My parents took me to see my first Broadway show featuring the late great Mary Martin, who starred in ‘The Sound of Music.’ I realized that music would play a very special part in my upbringing. Around ten years later, I listened on the radio to the last concert ever held at the iconic venue, Fillmore East, where the greatest pop-rock musicians performed, from Led Zeppelin to The Allman Brothers Band. When it closed on June 26, 1971, I listened to and recorded the seven-hour broadcast.”

His passion flourished at Long Island University, when he knocked on the door of the radio station on a cold February day and felt it was within him to be on college radio.

Ken Franklin kneeling on left in 1997 with multi-platinum band Ambrosia after a live in-studio performance on KLOS-FM LA, The Mark & Brian Show

That would evolve into commercial radio and employment with Millennium Records, a now defunct division of RCA Records.

Franklin undoubtedly has an outstanding career, but his number one inspiration is his SuperMom Bea, whose positive mindset provided much structure in his life.

“She is filled with lots of life and energy. She’s always learning and reading, and enjoys seeing Broadway shows. She doesn’t dwell on negativity, since people who do, lead an incomplete life,” he said.

That has also held true for Franklin’s career. He continued, “Look at all options and don’t give up if someone says no. You can do an internship and not get paid. In my case, I ended up interviewing Fleetwood Mac at college radio.”

He advises younger generations to look into the mirror and decipher how to improve one’s self, to increase desirability from the start.

Porcelli: The Other Side of Education (2/2)

CTE Shop Class:  NOW – IT’S HIGH-TECH

Consider all career options

By Mike Porcelli

To the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” – consider this: it is always best to weigh every option available in terms of your own personal characteristics. Do not just rely on advice from the “experts,” who don’t really understand you.

The “college is the best path for everyone” concept, created and perpetuated by school counselors and administrators, who were themselves indoctrinated by their own college experiences, is based on several myths that have led generations of students into costly college programs that did not work to develop their maximum potential – leaving them in debt, without valuable job skills.

These education professionals generally have little or no experience with the abilities and earning capabilities of skilled trade workers. For the most part, they themselves have no trade skills and have little appreciation for those who possess them. If their career views are so essentially biased, how can they then give effective career advice?

The primary myth about college grads earning more than those without degrees is based on the classic faulty method of comparing apples and oranges. It compares “average” earnings of various careers, but that technique yields a highly inaccurate picture of occupational salary differentials.

A more accurate evaluation of salary data would compare earnings of people with similar levels of training in various jobs. For example, the average worker with a masters degree will usually earn less than a highly skilled trade worker with a comparable, less costly, level of technical training.

Last week, we reported that the average skilled trade worker in New York City earns more than the average Ph.D professional. Additional research shows that, on an hourly basis, academics with Ph.D’s earn near the minimum wage, while the earnings of Ph.D’s in private industry are about equal to the salaries of similarly credentialed skilled trade workers. This will come as a big surprise to those who have been inculcated with the “college is the only path to career success” myth.

Accurate earnings potential research is essential. But remember, money is not the only factor to consider in career selection. Compatibility of abilities and interests with careers, must be the primary factors considered. 

To better understand the intricacies of career selection, try Googling this: “trade-school-college-statistics.” The search will yield many informative sites. One of the most useful is: https://financesonline.com/trade-school-college-statistics/  

Career counselors: Examine the information on this and similar sites, before giving advice to students.

Students: Do the same, as if your future success depends on it – it will!

Make informed career decisions!

Academic & Trade Education are Two Sides of a Coin. This column explores the impact of CTE programs on students, society, and the economy.

Mike Porcelli: life-long mechanic, adjunct professor, and host of Autolab Radio, is committed to restoring trade education in schools before it’s too late. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-porcelli-master-mechanic-allasecerts/

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