Forty years ago, Richard Nixon was reelected to a second term as president of the United States. One significant act of his presidency was his official affirmation of a holiday that achieved presidential recognition during the tenure in office of his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson. In 1966, Johnson acknowledged Father’s Day as a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday […]
Letters to the Editor
I Remember My Father To The Editor: June is the month we honor our fathers and memories of my dad bring many to my mind. My father’s name was Frederick and he was 59 years old when I was born. As he got older there was a lot he couldn’t do due to his age but in some ways he […]
Board 2 Hears Of Hurricane Season Advisory, Bike Share Program
The June meeting of Community Board 2 opened with Mitchell Bass of the city Office of Emergency Management (OEM) reminding board members and area residents that the hurricane season is already here, even though it is commonly associated with August and September. He said that some parts of the Board 2 district are in hurricane evacuation zones. He also said […]
Judge Charles J. Vallone Scholarships Awarded
Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr., former City Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone Sr. and members of the Astoria Civic Association presented 19 high school seniors with college scholarships on June 5. The students, who attend high schools across the city but reside in Western Queens, gathered for a ceremony at Riccardo’s by the Bridge to receive their awards, which ranged […]
Changes Proposed For Newtown And 30th Avenue Intersection
The triangle formed by Newtown and 30th Avenues in Astoria represents a historic exception to the ancient grid system of placing streets at right angles first proposed by the Greek architect and urban planner Hippodamian. A city Department of Transportation (DOT) “workshop on pedestrian safety and underutilized street space” presented two ideas to the public for the Newtown–30th Avenue intersection […]
Meng Joins Vallone To Go After ‘Untouchable’ Antennas
Assemblymember Grace Meng (D–Flushing) joined Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. (D–Astoria) last week in calling for state and local governments to have “greater oversight and regulation of cell antenna siting,” a pesky issue in some localities, including Astoria, where Vallone has been fighting it for several years. Meng, running for the newly drawn 6th CD in Northern Queens, promised to introduce […]