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Community June 15, 2007
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Beautifying The Bay
Broad Channel Littoral Society Awarded Grant
      Cleaning up never paid off so well. At least that's true for the Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society, which was awarded a $43,200 grant for their leading role in cleaning up the Jamaica Bay marshes, according to a June 7 press release.
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Weiner Wants Privacy For Police Officers
      Representative Anthony Weiner, joined by members of the Sergeant's Benevolent Association, announces legislation to protect police officers, undercover agents, informants and prosecution witnesses from having their personal information posted on the Internet.
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Construction Chaos Angers Surfside Apartments Residents
By Alison Mills
      Even the most infrequent visitor to the Surfside apartment buildings, located between Beach 105 Street and Beach 107 Street, can see that the parking areas and roadways within the three-building complex are under construction.
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Keeping Children Safe This Summer
      Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer is urging parents to take the time to be informed about important safety issues to help prevent their children from being seriously injured while participating in outdoor activities this summer. "During the summer months, kids have more freedom and tend to p...
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Last Stop Café, Fashion Wave Reopen
      The first phase of renovations on the city-owned stores on Beach 116 Street nearby the Rockaway Park Subway Station have been completed and two stores have reopened for business after a hiatus of more than two months. The remaining shops on the strip will be closed on June 26 and will remain ...
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Local Man Has Seizure, Hits Hydrant
      Francis McHale, 32, was reportedly driving westbound on Rockaway Beach Boulevard at Beach 123 Street on Saturday, June 9 at about 3:30 p.m., when he suffered a seizure. Unable to control the car, he crashed into a fire hydrant. McHale, who lives at 122-20 Ocean Promenade, was transported to t...
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Kelly Says 'Thanks' To Parks And Recreation
      The Rockaway Park Homeowners and Residents Association has been working very closely to beautify the community with officials from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
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DiResta Graduates From The College Of New Rochelle
      Local hairdresser Darlene DiResta, who has been cutting hair on Beach 116 Street almost two decades, graduated from The College of New Rochelle with a BA degree in Liberal Arts. The graduation ceremony, held at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, was attended by her sons James, a graduate of ...
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Carrubba Achieves Success At Poly Prep
      Steven Carrubba recently completed a successful middle school career at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn. Carrubba, a Rockaway resident, graduated from the eighth grade at the school as the recipient of the Marjorie Bull Award for outstanding academic achievement.
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Janessa Caruso Graduates Magna Cum Laude
      Janessa Caruso of Rockaway Beach graduated magna cum laude from Adelphi University on May 21, 2007 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing. She will work as a registered nurse in St. Francis Hospital's main operating room in Roslyn, New York.
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Notes from the High C's
Rockaway Music and Arts Council
by Sharon Gabriel
      It's hard to believe that next Sunday, June 24 will begin another Sunset Picnic Concert Series at Ft. Tilden. As you know, each concert begins at 6 p.m. and this year we are beginning with something new. "A Night at the Copa" will somewhat recreate the type of show that you would se...
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Biker Rides to Raise Money For Cystic Fibrosis
Asks For Public's Help To Fight Disease
By Miriam Rosenberg
      When Ed Shevlin leaves on his motorcycle trip to the West Coast next month, his thoughts will be with a young child who is stricken with cystic fibrosis.
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Parent Busted For Attack On School Security Agents
By Howard Schwach
      A parent whose child attends PS 43 in Edgemere is due back in Queens Supreme Court today in connection with charges that he attacked two school security agents inside the school building on two separate occasions. According to court records, Rockaway resident Marc Minott, 29, was insi...
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Plans For Contaminated Site Cleanup Outlined
By Miriam Rosenberg
      Representatives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health have outlined proposed plans for cleaning up a hazardous waste site in the Dayton Plaza Shopping Center, which is located on Rockaway Beach Boulevard, between Beach 81 Street and ...
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Queens Civic Congress To Hold Rockaway Meeting
      The Queens Civic Congress, which represents 104 civic groups from all parts of Queens, will meet in Rockaway for the first time on Monday, June 18. The featured topic for the Rockaway meeting will be: "Queens Parks: Whose Parks Are They Anyway?
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Queens Library At Far Rockaway To Close For HVAC Replacement
      The Queens Library at 1637 Central Avenue in Far Rockaway is scheduled to close for a little over a month, starting June 24, 2007. The building is slated to have the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems completely replaced, and the work is estimated to last for approximately one...
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Rising Temperature Relief
Tips To Stay Cool And Energy Efficient
      When Rockaway's sea breeze is not enough to cool down a scorching summertime peninsula, many residents look to cranking the AC to cool their homes. While this method may lower a room's temperature, it is costly and not environmentally friendly.
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Sanders: NYCHA
Could Close Community Centers Agency Denies Rumors Of Impending Closings
By Miriam Rosenberg
      In what he termed a crisis situation, Councilman James Sanders Jr. held a hastily called town meeting on Tuesday to address the possible closings of community centers in Rockaway by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
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B. 43 St. School Bus Accident Sends Many Children To PHC, Driver To Jail
     A school bus from the Rivlab Bus Company rear-ended another school bus owned by Atlantic Express on Beach Channel Drive near Beach 43 Street last Friday morning on the way to school, starting a chain of events that sent all of the students in the buses to Peninsula Hospital Center for medical examin...
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Second Surfing Beach In The Works
By Brian Magoolaghan
      Rockaway's surfing-only beach is so popular that the Department of Parks and Recreation wants to establish another one in Arverne as soon as possible. Community Board 14 voted unanimously Tuesday night to support Parks' bid for another surfing-only spot between Beach 67 and Beac...
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Youth Town Hall Meeting Set For June 27
      Senator Malcolm A. Smith will be sponsoring a Youth Town Hall Meeting on June 27, 2007, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Nazarene Community Church, located at 1414 Central Avenue in Far Rockaway. The meeting will address employment, police and youth relations, and attacks on hip hop c...
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SJEH Honors DO Graduates
     Graduates of the Osteopathic Medicine Residency Program of St. John's Episcopal Hospital were honored recently with a ceremony and dinner at the VFW Hall in Valley Stream, NY. The American Osteopathic Association-approved program offers specialty training in dermatology, family practice, obstetrics/...
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Stella Maris Poets To Be Published
      Stella Maris High School juniors in the American Greats English class are pictured with their teacher, Helen McCrory (far right), after learning that their poetry was accepted for publication in the Creative Communication Anthology for 2007. The young women are, left to right: Marisa Pi...
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Strolling Over The White, Hot Beach Sand
     After a successful test run, the plastic pathway leading from the boardwalk to the shores of Beach 116 Street is here to stay. The new "Mobi-Mat," part of the Department of Parks and Recreation's pilot program to make city beaches and parks more accessible, ensures that the community's disabled, eld...
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Students Elect New Leadership At Stella Maris
      As the school year winds down, the Stella Maris student body elected a new Executive Board for their 2007-2008 school year. Pictured left to right are Meghan Wheeler, Kathleen Monahan, Mrs. Mauro, Moderator, Amanda Boudreau, Kathleen Haggerty, Tara Iannotti, Rita Regan and Gabriella Ali-Marin...
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State Senator Huntley Urges Dads to Visit the Doc
      In recognition of Father's Day and Men's Health Week, Senator Shirley Huntley is urging New York dads to take care of themselves by going for regular physical exams. "Between the demands of work, caring for loved ones, and the constant upkeep of cars and home, many dads put off getting ...
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The Silver Bullet Makes A Stop In Rockaway
      On Sunday June 10, The Irish Circle hosted a block party in conjunction with the Coors Light Silver Bullet party train. Patrons enjoyed live music, cold beers, and a trip through the Silver Bullet, which included a warm greeting from the Coors girls, a quick photo behind the train's bar, and ...
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Weiner Works To Halt Saudi Missile Deal
      In an effort to stop the sale of high tech missile technology to the Saudi Arabian government, Representatives Anthony Weiner and Robert Wexler of Florida, announced they will introduce legislation to block the deal "the minute the deal is announced.
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Yaeger's Art Displayed At RAA Exhibit
      Stephen Yaeger, local artist and columnist for The Wave, is among the artists showing their works at the Rockaway Artists Alliance exhibition, "Planet Animals." The exhibition runs from June 10 thru June 24 at the RAA's sTudio 7 in Fort Tilden. Yaeger is pictured with some of his artwork feat...
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Graduation,Stepping-Up Ceremonies At Redfern
      The Consortium of Rockaway Child Care Centers held their annual graduation and stepping-up ceremony in the heart of the Redfern NYCHA Housing Complex on June 8.
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MovieScope
'Pirates Of The Caribbean: At The World's End' - Gathering Moss
Review By Robert Snyder
      Rolling Stone Keith Richards' longawaited appearance in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise is a highpoint in the three-quel, "At the World's End," equal to any of the super special effects. As the pirate-king father of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), he says almost nothing and is on scr...
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New Station Is Friend To Nature And Visitors
By Brian Magoolaghan
      The National Park Service cut ribbon Monday on the reconstructed Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Contact Station, a so-called "green" building that was designed to minimize its impact on the environment.
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Relay For Life Sparsely Attended,But Enthusiastic,Nevertheless
Lots of Drop-Outs, Cold Weather Make For Truncated Event
      The annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life was held at Beach Channel High School on Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10, under chilly skies and the threat of rainstorms.
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A Special Visitor At St.Francis De Sales
      Captain Thomas Sullivan recently visited the fifth grade class at St. Francis de Sales. While Captain Sullivan was stationed in Iraq the students sent him notes and handmade cards. Upon his return he wanted to meet with the children and thank them. Captain Sullivan brought each child a certificat...
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Time Capsule Buried At PS/MS 105Q
      In honor of the first graduating eighth grade class at PS/MS 105Q, Mrs. Maksimowicz and her science class collected twenty first century artifacts and buried them in a time capsule on the school grounds.
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Stella Maris Graduates Honored
      Five Stella Maris seniors who participated in the Thinkquest Website Competition were chosen as one of 25 semi-finalist groups out of the original 500 competition entries.
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Rockaway Residents Make Dean's List
      Due to their outstanding academic achievement during the fall 2006 semester, four Rockaway residents made the Dean's List at Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University, State University of New York. The students are Ilir Sadik and Martin Safrin of Far Rockaway, Yekaterina Sulim...
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Stella Maris Senior Scholarship Winners
      Stella Maris senior class graduates are proud to pose for their picture. More than 25 percent were recipients of college scholarships amounting approximately $2 million dollars. Pictured seated (left to right) are E. McKinley, Melissa Scacalossi, D. Miceli, Guidance Counselor Alexandra Mitchell,...
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Students Show Artistic Side At Public School/Middle School 105
By Miriam Rosenberg
      Students from PS/MS 105 showed their artistic side during a recent after school Art Club that gave them the opportunity to explore the world of art.
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