{"id":160346,"date":"2026-03-11T14:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/160346\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T14:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:32:09","slug":"i-on-poltics-queens-gazette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/160346\/","title":{"rendered":"I On Poltics – Queens Gazette"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NORTH QUEENS HOMEOWNERS MEETING NOTICE:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

DUTCH KILLS CIVIC ASSN MEETING:<\/p>\n

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, lo\u00adcated 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 wel\u00adcome.<\/p>\n

WE LOVE WHITESTONE TOWN MEET\u00adING:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

STATEMENT FROM MAMDANI ON IN\u00adDICTMENTS:<\/p>\n

In response to federal prosecutors announcing the indictments of Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released the fol\u00adlowing statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cEmir 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

QBP DONOVAN RICHARDS ON WOMEN\u2019S HISTORY MONTH:<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy Women\u2019s History Month, Queens! This is a borough that has been built and led by women \u2014 many of whom were in the room at the Queens Museum for our annual Women\u2019s Impact Celebra\u00adtion 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\u2019t just talk about supporting women \u2014 we invest in women. We\u2019re proud to have made historic investments in women\u2019s health and well\u00adness, from new units at Elmhurst and St. John\u2019s Episcopal hospitals to support mothers and their ba\u00adbies 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, commu\u00adnities thrive. This Women\u2019s History Month, let\u2019s up\u00adlift the amazing women in our lives who show up every single day for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

MAMDANI AND HOCHUL ANNOUNCE FIRST TO RECEIVE FREE 2-K SEATS:<\/p>\n

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 Lin\u00addenwood and Springfield Gardens North.<\/p>\n

First announced on day eight of the Mamdani administration alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, 2-K is a cornerstone of the Mayor\u2019s 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 im\u00admigration status.<\/p>\n

The program will launch with 2,000 free seats this fall and expand to full universality within four years.<\/p>\n

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 invest\u00adment 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaising a child takes a village \u2013 and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,\u201d said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. \u201cOn 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\u2019 pock\u00adets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRaising a family in New York shouldn\u2019t feel like a luxury, and today we\u2019re taking another signif\u00adicant step to deliver universal child care,\u201d said Gov\u00adernor Hochul. \u201cEarlier this year, Mayor Mamdani and I stood together to announce the state\u2019s historic investment in New York City\u2019s 2-K program, deliv\u00adering 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 \u2013 and we\u2019re just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies across South Queens and the Rock\u00adaway Peninsula have endured generations of sys\u00adtemic disinvestment in their children\u2019s 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\u2019s first 2-K district this fall, we are taking another seismic leap forward in righting the wrongs of the past and building an ed\u00aducation system rooted in equity,\u201d said Queens Bor\u00adough President Donovan Richards Jr. \u201cAs the father of an elementary school student myself, I couldn\u2019t be more excited for the freedom this program will deliver for our families \u2014 both for our kids and for parents who have been stretched thin by the cost of childcare. I look forward to working with the Gov\u00adernor, the Mayor and all our partners to ensure we deliver high-quality 2-K to every family in District 27 and, in time, beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFar too many families in our community are forced to make impossible decisions about their child\u2019s education and care because of rising costs and limited access,\u201d said Council Member Lynn Schulman. \u201cUniversal 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 ac\u00adcessible and affordable for every family. I want to thank Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul for this major investment in our city\u2019s families and the future of our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

ADDABBO CELEBRATES NYC\u2019S FREE 2-K PILOT:<\/p>\n

Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said: \u201cI am pleased to see Ozone Park and the surrounding com\u00admunities of southern Queens selected as one of the first neighborhoods to participate in New York City\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cChild care costs have become a major chal\u00adlenge 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 house\u00adholds. 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\u2019s 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 in\u00advolved in bringing this program to local communi\u00adties 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOCHUL ON MEETING WITH HOMAN:<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, I met with Tom Homan to make a straightforward appeal: Help us keep New Yorkers safe by ending aggressive and unlawful ICE opera\u00adtions 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump promised he would not en\u00adgage in a federal immigration enforcement surge in New York unless we ask for it \u2014 and I made clear to Homan today that the request would never come.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York will always work with federal im\u00admigration enforcement to take dangerous criminals off our streets, but every law enforcement agency operating in this state, federal or otherwise, must fol\u00adlow the same constitutional standards. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve proposed legislation that would keep ICE out of sensitive locations like schools, health care facil\u00adities and houses of worship, and protects the consti\u00adtutional rights afforded to everyone in our state.<\/p>\n

\u201cICE and federal law enforcement should focus on what they were created to do: Protecting the homeland from real threats, not creating new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON FUND\u00adING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD:<\/p>\n

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following statement after Senate Re\u00adpublicans\u2019 move to block a Department of Home\u00adland Security (DHS) funding bill that would fund the vast majority of DHS, with the exception of Im\u00admigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Cus\u00adtoms and Border Protection (CBP), and the Secretary of Homeland Security\u2019s office:<\/p>\n

\u201cRepublicans just blocked a commonsense ef\u00adfort to end the DHS shutdown. Today, Democrats put forth a bill that would fund most parts of the agency, allowing the hardworking federal employ\u00adees at TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard to receive their paychecks and continue doing the important work they do promoting public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepublicans and the White House have re\u00adfused to negotiate commonsense reforms to ICE and Border Patrol to strengthen public safety, protect American citizens\u2019 rights, and bring much-needed oversight to the department. Until they do, I will continue to oppose funding to both ICE and CBP.\u201d<\/p>\n

MENG LEADS LETTER TO STATE DEPT:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The State Department has advised Americans in 15 Middle East countries and territories to leave due to serious safety risks, and the agency has in\u00adstructed them to depart using commercial trans\u00adportation. 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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 responsi\u00adble for in the case of evacuation. In addition, the cor\u00adrespondence criticizes the Administration for failing to have an evacuation plan already in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many Americans want to desperately re\u00adturn home from the Middle East but are unable to do so,\u201d said Meng, \u201cThe State Department needs to step up and help them. Three days after the war began, the Department says it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meng serves as a member of the House Appro\u00adpriations Subcommittee on National Security, De\u00adpartment of State and Related Programs which funds the State Department.<\/p>\n

\u2014With contributions by Augusta Luger<\/p>\n

This column was originated by John A. Toscano.<\/p>\n

For more I on Pols, visit this week\u2019s QGazette.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 NORTH QUEENS HOMEOWNERS MEETING NOTICE: The meeting of the North Queens Homeowners Civic Association will be held…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-160346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}