NORTH QUEENS HOMEOWNERS MEETING NOTICE:
The meeting of the North Queens Homeowners Civic Association will be held on Thursday, March 12, at 7:30 pm, at The Lexington School For The Deaf, 25-26 75th Street, East Elmhurst (cafeteria, lower level). Back by popular demand! Guest Speaker: Iggy Azzara, Chief, NYC Department of Sanitation.
DUTCH KILLS CIVIC ASSN MEETING:
The next general meeting of the Dutch Kills Civic Association will be held on Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 pm at the Growing Up Green School, located at 39-27 28th Street in Long Island City. Liang Xiaoxin from the New York Power Authority will be the guest speaker to discuss saving on utility bills. Officers from the 114th Precinct will give updates about happenings in the community. All are welcome.
WE LOVE WHITESTONE TOWN MEETING:
Wednesday, March 18, at 7:00 pm, at Holy Cross Greek Church, 11-05 150 Street, Whitestone. With Guest Speaker: DEP Representative to present and explain new regulations.
STATEMENT FROM MAMDANI ON INDICTMENTS:
In response to federal prosecutors announcing the indictments of Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released the following statement:
“Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have been charged with committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS. They should be held fully accountable for their actions. We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in our city.”
QBP DONOVAN RICHARDS ON WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH:
“Happy Women’s History Month, Queens! This is a borough that has been built and led by women — many of whom were in the room at the Queens Museum for our annual Women’s Impact Celebration on Monday, March 2. As the proud son of Carol Richards and proud husband of Tameeka Richards, I know that I would not be the person I am today without their love, guidance and wisdom. In Queens, we don’t just talk about supporting women — we invest in women. We’re proud to have made historic investments in women’s health and wellness, from new units at Elmhurst and St. John’s Episcopal hospitals to support mothers and their babies to funding gender justice-related nonprofits that provide critical services women rely on and so much more. Because when women are healthy, families are healthy. And when families are healthy, communities thrive. This Women’s History Month, let’s uplift the amazing women in our lives who show up every single day for us.”
MAMDANI AND HOCHUL ANNOUNCE FIRST TO RECEIVE FREE 2-K SEATS:
In a major step toward universal child care from six weeks to five years old, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced the first communities that will receive free 2-K seats this fall. In Queens, School District 27: Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Howard Beach and Rockaways as well as parts Lindenwood and Springfield Gardens North.
First announced on day eight of the Mamdani administration alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, 2-K is a cornerstone of the Mayor’s universal child care initiative. The program will provide free child care for two-year-olds in New York City to any family who needs it, regardless of zip code, income or immigration status.
The program will launch with 2,000 free seats this fall and expand to full universality within four years.
Earlier this year, Gov. Hochul committed more than $1.2 billion to support early childhood care and education in New York City, including $73 million to fund the first set of free 2-K seats. That investment will grow to $425 million next year. By fall 2027, 2-K is expected to serve approximately 12,000 children across all five boroughs, with the goal of reaching every two-year-old in the city at full implementation.
“Raising a child takes a village – and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “On day eight, we moved closer to making universal childcare a reality. This fall, 2,000 New York City two-year-olds will have a brighter future because of it. Launching free 2-K in these four neighborhoods is just the beginning of our work to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here.”
“Raising a family in New York shouldn’t feel like a luxury, and today we’re taking another significant step to deliver universal child care,” said Governor Hochul. “Earlier this year, Mayor Mamdani and I stood together to announce the state’s historic investment in New York City’s 2-K program, delivering free child care for two-year-olds across the City. This is how we make New York the best place to start a family and build a future – and we’re just getting started.”
“Families across South Queens and the Rockaway Peninsula have endured generations of systemic disinvestment in their children’s education, from a lack of funding for their schools to a lack of urgency in ensuring our youngest students are given the proper head start they deserve. With District 27 set to become the borough’s first 2-K district this fall, we are taking another seismic leap forward in righting the wrongs of the past and building an education system rooted in equity,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “As the father of an elementary school student myself, I couldn’t be more excited for the freedom this program will deliver for our families — both for our kids and for parents who have been stretched thin by the cost of childcare. I look forward to working with the Governor, the Mayor and all our partners to ensure we deliver high-quality 2-K to every family in District 27 and, in time, beyond.”
“Far too many families in our community are forced to make impossible decisions about their child’s education and care because of rising costs and limited access,” said Council Member Lynn Schulman. “Universal child care must begin with meaningful, targeted investments in neighborhoods that need it most. These new 2-K seats, some of which are slated for my district, are a critical step toward making early childhood education truly accessible and affordable for every family. I want to thank Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul for this major investment in our city’s families and the future of our kids.”
ADDABBO CELEBRATES NYC’S FREE 2-K PILOT:
Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said: “I am pleased to see Ozone Park and the surrounding communities of southern Queens selected as one of the first neighborhoods to participate in New York City’s new free child care initiative for two-year-olds. This already funded pilot program represents an important investment in working families and early childhood development.
“Child care costs have become a major challenge for many parents and programs like this help ensure that families have access to safe, high-quality care while they work and provide for their households. Beginning this fall, families in Ozone Park and nearby neighborhoods will have access to these new opportunities as part of the initial rollout of the city’s funded 2-K program, which will provide free seats for two-year-olds and expand in the coming years. I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and all the partners involved in bringing this program to local communities and I look forward to credibly expand the program throughout my district. Early education and child care are essential to helping children start school ready to learn while also strengthening the economic stability of families.”
HOCHUL ON MEETING WITH HOMAN:
“Today, I met with Tom Homan to make a straightforward appeal: Help us keep New Yorkers safe by ending aggressive and unlawful ICE operations in this state. No more militarized raids, no more plans for large-scale detention centers and no more attacks on law-abiding people who call New York home.
“President Trump promised he would not engage in a federal immigration enforcement surge in New York unless we ask for it — and I made clear to Homan today that the request would never come.
“New York will always work with federal immigration enforcement to take dangerous criminals off our streets, but every law enforcement agency operating in this state, federal or otherwise, must follow the same constitutional standards. That’s why I’ve proposed legislation that would keep ICE out of sensitive locations like schools, health care facilities and houses of worship, and protects the constitutional rights afforded to everyone in our state.
“ICE and federal law enforcement should focus on what they were created to do: Protecting the homeland from real threats, not creating new ones.”
GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON FUNDING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD:
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following statement after Senate Republicans’ move to block a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill that would fund the vast majority of DHS, with the exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Secretary of Homeland Security’s office:
“Republicans just blocked a commonsense effort to end the DHS shutdown. Today, Democrats put forth a bill that would fund most parts of the agency, allowing the hardworking federal employees at TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard to receive their paychecks and continue doing the important work they do promoting public safety.
“Republicans and the White House have refused to negotiate commonsense reforms to ICE and Border Patrol to strengthen public safety, protect American citizens’ rights, and bring much-needed oversight to the department. Until they do, I will continue to oppose funding to both ICE and CBP.”
MENG LEADS LETTER TO STATE DEPT:
Due to the war with Iran, U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) late today led a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the State Department to help stranded Americans leave the Middle East and return to the United States.
The State Department has advised Americans in 15 Middle East countries and territories to leave due to serious safety risks, and the agency has instructed them to depart using commercial transportation. But with airlines cancelling commercial flights out of the region, and airports there closed, most Americans are unable to book a trip home. The State Department has announced charter flights from just three of the countries on the list.
The letter to Rubio, which is signed by 61 Members of Congress (including Meng and Lieu), calls for charter flights, military operations and all other resources at the State Department’s disposal to be used to bring Americans back to the U.S. safely and quickly. It also asks the Department to issue updated guidance including making sure Americans know what expenses they are responsible for in the case of evacuation. In addition, the correspondence criticizes the Administration for failing to have an evacuation plan already in place.
“So many Americans want to desperately return home from the Middle East but are unable to do so,” said Meng, “The State Department needs to step up and help them. Three days after the war began, the Department says it’s finally working on it. But it should have already had a plan in place, and now must immediately come up with one to evacuate these stranded Americans, just like other countries are doing for their citizens. This needs to happen at once and I urge the State Department to act as fast as possible.”
Meng serves as a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs which funds the State Department.
—With contributions by Augusta Luger
This column was originated by John A. Toscano.
For more I on Pols, visit this week’s QGazette.com.