Kathleen Conlisk passed away on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the age of 71. Beloved Wife of Daniel. Devoted Mother of Daniel, Jennifer, Jacqueline, Christopher, Jason, Shannon and Tricia. Dear Sister of Paul and Janice. Also survived by 10 grandchildren. Services offered at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church. Cremation was at Fresh Pond Crematory under the direction of Hess-Miller Funeral Home, 64-19 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village, NY 11379.
Margaret Scaturro passed away on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the age of 92. Beloved Mother of Marie Scaturro and Nunzio Adam Scaturro. Loving Grandmother of Lisa, James, Jessica and Patrick. Cherished Great-Grandmother of Robbie, Adriana, Gavin, Demitra and Reese. Mass of Christian Burial offered at Transfiguration Church on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 9:30 AM. Private Cremation followed at Fresh Pond Crematory, Middle Village, NY under the direction of Papavero Funeral Home, 72-27 Grand Avenue, Maspeth NY 11378.
Frances Mallia passed away on Friday, April 29, 2022 at the age of 94. Beloved Wife of the late Joseph P. Mallia. Loving Mother of Carol Donargo, Valerie Mallia and Mark & Diana Mallia. Cherish Grandmother of Alexandra, Krista, Alyssa and Daniella. Mass of Christian Burial offered at St. Matthias Church on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 10:15 AM. Interment followed at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, NY under the direction of Papavero Funeral Home, 72-27 Grand Avenue, Maspeth NY 11378.
Political district lines are redrawn every 10 years as a result of new figures provided by the U.S. Census.
However, this year, while the newly drawn district maps were expected to pass the approval of a bipartisan commission, the Democratic-led state legislature took control of the process after the efforts to redraw district lines broke down.
The end result was a series of new district maps that were released in February, reshaping the boundaries of several electoral districts. However, members of the Republican Party were displeased with the new maps and responded by filing a lawsuit, disputing that the process was gerrymandered by the Dems.
The State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the GOP’s lawsuit, in March, determining that they were able to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt the map was enacted with political bias.” As a result of this decision, Justice Patrick McAllister ordered that the legislature draw up new maps by April 11.
Democratic lawmakers immediately appealed the case, and on April 21, a panel of judges with the Appellate Division ruled in favor of the court regarding U.S. Congressional districts, while reversing its decision regarding the State Senate and Assembly.
The court decision requires district lines to be redrawn by April 30, in order to resolve the conflict before the primary in June.
Meanwhile, the Dems have continued to appeal the case to a higher court, which plans to hear the case on April 26, after press time. Its decision will ultimately set a precedent over the decision of the two lower courts.
What is Gerrymandering?
Simply put, it is an unconstitutional practice in which district lines are redrawn with the purpose of influencing the outcome of who will get elected.
The word tends to get thrown around a lot by politicians and the media, but it’s important to understand the impact such decisions have during any given election year.
What does this mean for my district?
Based on the proposed redistricting maps, Brooklyn voters in the Sunset Park and Park Slope communities could potentially be included in the newly reshaped 11th Congressional District.
Presently the district includes all of Staten Island as well as southern Brooklyn communities including Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, Sheepshead Bay, and parts of Bensonhurst.
In a previous Pol Position editorial, back in February, we took a look at the possible reshaping of this district, which voted predominantly Republican in the 2020 general election.
The district has been strongly Republican since 2013 when redistricting allowed former Congressman and convicted felon Michael Grimm to lay claim to the seat. After being sentenced to eight months in prison, the seat was left vacant until Dan Donovan was elected in a 2015 special election.
Dems briefly regained control of the district in 2018, when former Congressman Max Rose defeated incumbent Donovan, but this victory was short-lived. Rose was later defeated by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis in the 2020 general election, who staked claim to the district seat by a small six percent margin.
Should the courts approve the redistricting maps, the 11th District would be reshaped to incorporate more left-wing allied communities including Sunset Park and Park Slope. This could certainly provide Rose with a leg-up against his successor, pending a possible Democratic primary, as he campaigns to try and reclaim his seat in Congress.
While experts say it is rather unlikely, should the decision be made in favor of the lower courts, it would require the legislature to return to the drawing board. This could also potentially cause primary dates to be pushed back.
**UPDATE**
The courts have ruled that the redistricting maps were unconstitutionally drawn to favor the Dems. As a result, the state has until April 30th to submit new maps.
Boxing in the borough may never be the same. Star Boxing is bringing professional boxing to the famous Carnesecca Arena at St. John’s University in Queens on Saturday, May 7.
Star Boxing CEO Joe DeGuarida said he is excited to be partnering with such a prestigious institution as St. John’s University to bring boxing to the Carnesecca Arena for the first time ever.
“The Queens boxing culture represents a no-nonsense, bite down mentality which will be showcased in the ring come May 7,” DeGuardia said. “Be sure to grab your tickets now for what will be a thrilling night of fights.”
The fight card for the event will include a four-round light heavyweight showdown between New York’s own Emanuel Etienne against Tunde Fatiregun of New Jersey, the pro debut of former two-time New York Ring Masters (formally “Golden Gloves”) Champion Ronny Reyes, and more to be announced.
“St. John’s University is excited to work with Star Boxing to bring boxing to historic Carnesecca Arena this May,” Scott Lemperle, executive director of conference and auxiliary services at St. John’s University said.
Tickets for “Borough Boxing” are on sale now and can be purchased online at https://linktr.ee/starboxing1 or via Ticketmaster. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and fists will fly at around 7:30 p.m.
A 24-year-old Brooklyn man was fatally shot in the chest inside the Parsons Boulevard/Archer Avenue subway station on Monday afternoon.
Police say that at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, a verbal dispute quickly turned physical, eventually leading to five shots being fired inside the subway station.
NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox said that the victim, Marcus Bethea, was standing near the token booth when the suspect initially approached him. When police arrived, first aid was rendered and Bethea was transferred to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“During the course of that fight, the suspect pulled out a firearm and fired several rounds that hit the victim in his torso,” Wilcox said during a Monday night briefing on the incident.
Camera footage was captured inside the subway station, police say, and it is currently under review by the department.
There is no arrest as of press time. Police urge anyone with information to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-7577 (TIPS).
The annual New York International Auto Show returned to the Javits Center in Midtown for the first time in two years, with a showcase featuring close to one thousand different vehicles and exhibitors on display.
For the first time ever the auto show also included a section dedicated exclusively to micro-mobility, featuring a range of different electric bikes and scooters from companies such as Jetson, Jupiter Bike, Radio Flyer, Spark Cycleworks, and Veo Ride.
Electric cars were a major focal point of this year’s exhibition, shedding light on the many different ways car companies are breaking from the dependency on fossil fuels. One exhibit even included an indoor test track, giving people a chance to take a ride in one of several new EV model cars.
The auto show also served as a platform for major car manufacturers to debut several soon-to-be-released 2023 models of vehicles including the Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wagoneer, Kia Telluride, Kia Niro, Nissan Leaf, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Outback, VinFast, and Volkswagen ID. Buzz – a tribute to the classic microbus.
The two-week-long auto show also featured a variety of vintage cars dating as far back as 1909. Included among them were Mario Andretti’s formula-one racecar, and Elvis Presley’s 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II.
Another interesting highlight was variety of different concept models vehicles, such as the Toyota Rhombus, Chrysler Airflow Graphite, Deus Vayanne, and Genesis X Spedium.
Strangely missing from this year’s event were new vehicles from Honda and Mazda manufacturers.
To see more of the vehicles and different exhibits at the 2022 New York International Auto Show, visit autoshowny.com
Having been closed for more than two years, the Queens Public Library Flushing Branch officially reopened its doors to the general public on April 25.
The library, which averages approximately 6,000 visitors per day, is one of the largest and busiest public libraries in the entire country.
Local elected officials including City Councilwoman Sandra Ung, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and Queens Public Library President/CEO Dennis Walcott were in attendance on Monday morning, as the facility officially reopened its doors for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a great day for the Flushing community,” Ung said. “This library is so much more than a place to check out books, it hosts community events for families, provides a safe place for teens to gather after school, and keeps our seniors connected. For the many local residents who have limited English proficiency, the Flushing Library is often where they learn what is going on in their community.”
Ung said that in fact, all of the shelves on the third floor of the library contain materials in languages other than English.
“So this branch doesn’t just serve Flushing residents, it’s a resource for the diverse immigrant communities across the borough,” Ung said. “I’m so pleased that it is finally open to the public again.”
The Flushing Library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
The Adult Learning Center also reopened on Monday with classes for the public. The Center will be open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The library originally closed at the start of the pandemic along with all other QPL branches. The branch temporarily offered to-go service from November 2020 until March 2021, when the city began using the library as a free COVID-19 vaccination site. It quickly became one of the city’s most visited locations.
However, the city was forced to close it in mid-June when the building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system failed. The system failure came at approximately the same time as a planned closure of the branch to construct a second elevator. Work on that project started in December.
The second elevator is scheduled for completion in April of 2023, at which point the current elevator will be closed and refurbished. Both elevators should be operational by December of 2023.
In order to reopen the library to the public, QPL officials agreed to complete the bulk of the work on the elevators at night, so the building can be open during the day. The current HVAC system will still heat the building, while a temporary chiller sitting on a trailer along Kissena Avenue will cool the library. A new permanent HVAC system will be installed within the next two years.
The Flushing branch is the busiest library in the nation. Back in 2019, the facility drew 1.7 million visitors, circulated 1 million items, and brought in 184,000 program attendees, who participated in English classes, GED prep courses, job readiness workshops, and a variety of other programs.
Ung previously toured the library last month with Congresswoman Grace Meng, Richards, and Walcott, who assured her the library would be open in April.
“I want to thank QPL President and CEO Dennis Walcott and his team for keeping their promise and reopening the library before the end of the month,” Ung added. “I’m sure in no time this will again be the busiest library in the country.”
In preparation for the 2022 Belmont Park spring/summer meet, which begins on April 28, the New York Racing Association, Inc. has updated information for fans planning to attend live racing events at Belmont Park this season.
Admission is $5 daily, outside of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on June 11. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at any admission gate. Gates will open at 11 a.m. daily unless otherwise indicated. During Twilight racing days the admission gates will open at 1 p.m.
NYRA will also be offering the Belmont Park season pass once again in 2022, which provides general admission during every live race day during the spring, summer, and fall meets, including all three days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. For more information visit NYRA.com.
Due to the construction of the UBS Arena, the size of the Belmont Park backyard has been reduced, resulting in updated safety and security protocols. As a result, fans are no longer permitted to enter certain areas of the park with outside alcoholic beverages or large coolers, which will only be permitted in the “Top of the Stretch” reserved picnic area.
Updated protocols do not apply to the Saratoga Race Course, where the longstanding NYRA policy allowing fans to enter with coolers and outside food and beverages remains in place.
During the month of April, the first post will be 1:20 p.m. daily before shifting to 1 p.m. beginning May 1. Twilight racing will be offered on Thursdays beginning May 12 with a first post time of 3:05 p.m.
The first post for the Kentucky Derby will be 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, and the first post for the Preakness Stakes will be 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 21.
Long Island Rail Road will provide train service to and from Belmont Park every Saturday, throughout Memorial Day weekend, and on Father’s Day during the spring/summer meet. The LIRR will also expand service to help accommodate fans attending the 2022 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
