Many residents of Hunters Point, the most southwest portion of Long Island City, voiced concern over new street sweeping regulations proposed last Wednesday during a community meeting at MoMA PS 1. At the top of their lists — increased parking complications in an already congested area.

“The people of Manhattan will also be very disappointed because they use our neighborhood as a parking lot,” said a frustrated resident, referring to commuters who drive to LIC to park and then take the subway easily over the river.

However, as pointed out by Community Board 2 Chairman Joe Conley, these regulation are being proposed by CB 2 along with the Department of Sanitation because of an increased need for cleaning and in response to requests from other community members.

Conley reminded the crowd that

Article source: http://www.qchron.com/editions/western/dept-proposes-lic-street-sweeping/article_44ba6d29-2697-5f13-aa45-9e71475550eb.html

Photo by Ken Maldonado

Michael Capo, who leads Capo Auction, is a third generation antiques dealer with a passion for the drama and excitement he says auctions bring.

By Karen Frantz

TimesLedger Newspapers

Michael Capo, owner of Capo Auction in Long Island City, which runs monthly sales of fine antiques, furniture, paintings, silver and other collectibles, thinks Queens is the future.

“I like to tell people that I’m in the Bermuda Triangle of art,” he joked, referring to the cluster of other art galleries and museums nearby, including MoMA PS1, the Museum for African Art and Noguchi Museum.

And, indeed, Capo has carved out a place for his 6,000-square-foot auction house in the burgeoning neighborhood as possibly one of the only such businesses of its kind in the borough.

The second-market auction house, at 36-01 Queens Blvd., runs a general sale of collectibles that for various reasons the top-tier galleries,

Article source: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/4/capoauctionhouseprofile_all_2013_01_25_q.html

QUEENS — A group of Astoria neighbors says the construction of a massive eight-story medical facility in the neighborhood is putting their buildings on life support and might endanger residents’ health.

The 53,993-square foot building at 23-25 31st St. abuts the backyards of several houses on 32nd Street, and a portion of it was mistakenly built 10 feet closer to the properties than zoning regulations allow, according to city records.

For the last several years, residents on 32nd Street have fought against the project, saying construction errors have caused damage to the foundations of their homes, which they say shifted and cracked.

Neighbors say their latest trial is the discovery that the developer, Pali Realty, has confirmed plans to install mechanical equipment — including exhaust vents for a 134-car parking garage — in the space directly behind their backyard patios and gardens.

“It will affect our air quality,” said Norm Sutaria, whose

Article source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130122/astoria/neighbors-say-construction-of-medical-facility-endangers-their-homes

LONG ISLAND CITY — Good news for Queens residents who like dining al fresco: the Department of City Planning is looking to amend zoning rules to allow for sidewalk cafes in parts of Long Island City and Sunnyside where they’re currently banned.

Penny Lee, a representative from the DCP’s Queens office, said special zoning districts within the two neighborhoods — with burgeoning dining scenes — are not included on the list of city districts where sidewalk dining is allowed, something the proposal is looking to change.

Some sidewalk cafes already exist — with proper city licenses — along some of these streets, Lee said, though they are technically illegal under current zoning rules.

“We’re both legalizing existing sidewalk cafes in Hunters Point and then proposing to allow them throughout the special zoning district,” Lee said at a recent Community Board 1 hearing.

If approved, the amendment would lift restrictions on unenclosed

Article source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130122/long-island-city/city-looking-allow-more-sidewalk-cafes-long-island-city-sunnyside

WEBWIRE – Saturday, January 19, 2013

Tropicalaser, the premier destination for laser hair removal in Garden City, Long Island, announces their “Buy 1, Get 2 Free” promotion, starting January 21, 2013. For a limited time, clients can have the most medically effective laser hair removal procedures on three different parts of their bodies, and only have to pay for one.

From January 21, until February 2, Clients are invited to schedule laser hair removal for multiple areas such as under arms, legs, bikini line, and chin, pay regular price for the largest area, and get two more areas of equal or lesser value, completely free.

Tropicalaser offers state-of-the-art GentleMax Pro®, the most advanced laser hair removal method, which includes a built-in cooling system to lessen the discomfort felt with older laser hair removal methods. Both male and female clients can experience the benefits of

Article source: http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=169007

QUEENS — Plans for a proposed new middle school program for gifted students in District 30 are drawing ire from parents who say seats should be guaranteed to kids from Long Island City’s P.S. 166, who currently have no designated placement after fifth grade.

Of the district’s three gifted and talented elementary school programs, P.S. 166 students are the only ones who have not been given an automatic middle school transfer. Current students at the two other district GT schools, P.S. 122 in Astoria and P.S. 150 in Sunnyside, have been promised spots at a popular and highly-coveted existing GT middle school Academy at P.S. 122, where they historically matriculated.

Gifted P.S. 166 students, however — as well as future GT classes at P.S. 150 — will have to reapply to the gifted program once they hit fifth grade, with their admission based on fourth grade math and English

Article source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130116/long-island-city/ps-166-parents-feel-slighted-by-proposed-gifted-program-for-district-30

ASTORIA — The Department of Education is looking to expand Queens’ only citywide Gifted Talented program through the eighth grade, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott told parents at a town hall meeting.

The STEM (Science, Technology, Enrichment and Math) Academy at Astoria’s P.S. 85 is the only citywide GT program in the borough, and one of only five across the city. The program was founded in 2009, as was Brooklyn’s School of Inquiry. The three Manhattan programs were founded before that.

But STEM at P.S. 85 currently only goes to fifth grade, making it the only citywide gifted program without a middle school.

STEM parents have been pushing to change that, saying their children should be guaranteed a seat like those enrolled in other citywide programs, instead of having to go through the city’s taxing middle school application process.

At a District 30 meeting Monday night, Walcott assured parents

Article source: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130116/long-island-city/prestigious-queens-gt-program-extend-eighth-grade-chancellor-says

LONG ISLAND CITY — The NYPD wants to question 19-year-old Karim Morle in connection with a series of eight iPhone robberies in Long Island City and Astoria, police said.

Police said in all of the robberies a young black man has approached the victim from behind and taken their iPhone before running away. No injuries occurred in any of these incidents, police said.

Three of these crimes took place inside the Court Square subway station on or near one of the E train platforms, police said.

The first took place Aug. 1 at 9:25 p.m. on the stairwell leading to the northbound platform, the second took place Sept. 7 at 5:45 p.m. on the southbound platform and the third took place Sept. 15 at 12:40 p.m. on the southbound platform, police said.

The culprit also struck near 36th Avenue and 29th Street Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m., near 35th Avenue and 28th Street

Article source: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/3/iphonerobsuspect_we_2013_01_17_q.html