News Of The Neighborhoods
COMPILED BY LIZ GOFF

"Bad Eggs" Nesting At Local Stores

Local supermarkets are stocking shelves with "dangerous" Easter eggs, despite a nationwide ban of the goodies that has been in effect since 1997.

Officials pulled Italian-made "Kinder Surprise" Easter eggs off local shelves 10 years ago, fearful that toys hidden inside the hollow confections posed a choking hazard for young children.

A source at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the eggs are still being sold in stores throughout the city, including at several Bravo Supermarkets, "mom and pop" shops and specialty shops in Queens.

Shops and supermarkets selling the eggs "import them, and might not know they're breaking the law", the sources said.

The eggs contain a warning for children under three years old, the sources said. But the warning is written in German.

A spokesperson for Consumer Reports Magazine said the eggs contain toys with "tiny parts that could easily choke young children".

Consumer Reports spokesperson Heather Thompson said shoppers are drawn to the eggs by the promise of a "surprise" in the middle. "The toy is the surprise," Thompson said.

Plan To "Flag" Uncollected Mail

Queens residents who live alone are being offered a way to alert letter carriers that they need help.

The city will hand out stickers or magnets reading "Carrier Alert" that can be attached inside the mailboxes of seniors and the disabled, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The city will instruct letter carriers to call 311 or 911 if mail in the tagged boxes goes uncollected, Bloomberg said. In addition, the city Department For The Aging (DFTA) will teach building superintendents and doormen how to detect signs that tenants need help, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg said the move is an effort to revitalize the "Carrier Alert" program established by the city in the 1970s. "Hopefully by pairing this new program with the 311 system, we can save lives," Bloomberg said.

City officials estimate that 35 per cent of New Yorkers over 65 live alone. DFTA officials are urging Queens residents to call 311 or 911 if they believe a senior or disabled neighbor is in need of help.

"If this, once in a while, saves someone, then it will be worth all the work and aggravation," Bloomberg said.

Applications for "Carrier Alert" stickers or magnets are also available online at www.nyc.gov/aging.