E lection Day 2009 will arrive in New York City six days from today. It is incumbent upon every qualified voter in Queens, regardless of political party affiliation, to go to the polls and cast a vote for the re-election of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. When the final count is made after the polls close at 9 p.m., the tally should […]
Friends Flock To Onorato Fundraiser
Friends, family and loyal constituents of state Senator George Onorato crowded into Riccardo’s by the Bridge in Astoria recently to join in an evening of congeniality that served as a fundraiser for Onorato’s campaign for re-election to the 12th state senate district . City Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr., his father, former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. and Assemblymember […]
Bloomberg, Liu Favored In Tuesday Voting; Some Close Council Races Expected
Queens voters will get the chance next Tuesday to answer the questions of whether it’s possible for a guy to spend a million bucks on a campaign for mayor and still lose and whether Republicans can elect more than one candidate—possibly four—to the City Council. The ballot will also include a local pol, Councilmember John Liu, making a bid for […]
Four Hard-To-Predict City Council Races
The four closest City Council election races to be decided in Tuesday’s voting are in the 19th City Council District in Bayside, the 20th (Flushing), the 30th (Glendale/Middle Village) and the 32nd (Howard Beach/Ozone Park). They signify the intense effort by Queens Republicans to make some gains against the Democrats’ 13-to-1 edge in the borough’s city council delegation. It’s possible […]
King Manor Museum Holds Third Annual Halloween Party
The stately Rufus King Manor Museum in Jamaica held its third annual Halloween celebration on Saturday, October 24. Heavy wind and rain would usually put a damper on any other affair; however, in this case the weather added to the spooky atmosphere inside. Children representing local public schools and the community thrilled at scary stories like Edgar Allan Poe’s “The […]
Grace Lutheran Church School Unveils Greenhouse
City Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. joined parents, teachers and students at Grace Lutheran Church School on Wednesday, October 21 to celebrate this year’s fall harvest with the help of a newly installed greenhouse. A group of parents recently built the greenhouse, where elementary school children grow vegetables and herbs, in the back yard of Grace Lutheran Church on 21st […]
Vallone Calls For Limiting Homework
A group of Astoria second-graders learning about city government received some first-hand information on Thursday, October 22, when City Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. visited P.S. 171 in Long Island City. Vallone, who frequently visits every school in his district and attends every graduation, took questions from P.S. 171 second-grade students attending classes in English As a Second Language and […]
Elections Fulfill Democracy’s Promise
The week after the September 15 primary election, we ran two letters to the editor, with the headline for one being: “Suppose They Held A Primary…”, and for the other: “…And Nobody Voted?” (Gazette, September 23). It turns out our correspondents—and we—were right in our hypothesis. The turnout in the primary election of 2009 was one of the lowest in […]
Go For Fun, Not Gore
To The Editor: Halloween decorations used to consist of pumpkins, scarecrows and the occasional friendly ghost or black cat. Since when did this become an occasion to drag out the ugliest and most evil looking figures and sprawl them across your lawn to offend unassuming passersby? It seems that every year, Halloween displays become more and more ghoulish, violent and […]
Leave Emanuel Out
To The Editor: Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who is in charge of the allocation of resources for President [Barack] Obama’s universal healthcare plan, stated that doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously. This is shocking. When a good doctor takes the Hippocratic Oath, he understands the value of human life. There must be a plan to cover those who cannot afford […]