We’re Still Here



We’re Still Here A year can seem like forever. Then again, it can seem as if no time had passed at all. One year ago today we came to the Gazette offices expecting one more mildly chaotic production session. We would, we thought, edit the last few stories, proofread the last few ads, read the pages and get the paper […]

We Will Rise Above Terrorism



Yesterday the United States of America suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history. New York City, “The Capital of the World,” was, of course, a major target. Today, the skyline is radically altered. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which loomed over lower Manhattan for almost 30 years, collapsed after two hijacked passenger airliners were deliberately crashed […]

The WTC Seen From

Queens 1 Year Later

Last Sept. 19, the entire city was engaged in the most arduous recovery efforts in our country’s history as thousands of cops, firefighters and volunteers from throughout the tri-state area and from other cities worked feverishly to try to find victims who might still be alive. Meanwhile, an army of volunteers from every borough made up a support force for […]

Poletti Change–

Shutdown Holds Prospect
Of Cleaner Air Over Astoria


Shutdown Holds Prospect Of Cleaner Air Over Astoria The air over Queens, western Queens in particular, for a long time the most polluted in New York City, is expected to begin to undergo a cleansing process next January as a result of a landmark agreement announced last week to shut down the New York Power Authority (NYPA) operated Poletti plant […]

Sampras, Williams Take Open



Once again, Pete Sampras and Serena Williams are champions of the US Open. Both players put the finishing touches on the 2002 grand slam tennis tournament over the weekend in front of sellout crowds at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. For Sampras, it was his fifth US Open title, the first since 1996. It took him just under […]

Calendar of Events

Community Meetings

Sept. 12, 1 p.m., National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Chapter 1871; Catholic War Veterans Hall, 45-06 30th Ave., Long Island City; 932-0661. 7:30 p.m., Community Board 8; United Cerebral Palsy, 81-15 164th St., Jamaica; 591-6000. 8 p.m., Dutch Kills Civic Association; St. Patrick’s School Hall, 39-37 28th St., Long Island City; 729-0373. Sept. 16, 7 p.m., Elmhurst-Jackson Heights American […]

Many Consumers Still Pay Nonexistent Sales Tax



City Council investigators from a committee headed by City Councilmember Eric Gioia checking on compliance with sales tax exemptions created in March 2000, found that out of 50 stores visited 17, or 34 percent, were still collecting tax on the items, thus depriving consumers of savings they were intended to receive. Reacting to the findings, the leader of a retailers […]

Astoria Fathers Day Fire Inspires Mandatory Sprinklers



An Astoria fire on Fathers Day 2001 in which three firefighters lost their lives has resulted in a law sponsored by City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. mandating automatic fire sprinklers in below-grade locations in mercantile establishments. The bill became law on September 4 when it was signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A similar bill was introduced last year by the […]

Gazette

Restaurant
Of The WeekGaudio's Pizzeria And Restaurant An Astoria Landmark


Restaurant Of The Week Gaudio’s Pizzeria And Restaurant An Astoria Landmark One of the nice things about living in the boroughs is the friendliness and familiarity of the individual neighborhoods that make up this diverse metropolis. Gaudio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, for example, was started by an immigrant family from southern Italy in 1958. Since that time, the neighborhood has changed, […]

Disabled Vets Get Priority Treatment At VA Facilities



Disabled veterans will soon be given priority to receive treatment in veterans’ hospitals, placing them ahead of veterans not disabled in service, Anthony J. Principe, Veterans Affairs commissioner, has announced. Principe based his decisions upon the fact that more than 300,000 veterans cannot get to see a doctor within six months, and thousands cannot get an appointment at all. Under […]