The New Year had a bloody start as the holiday season wrapped up in Southeast Queens.<\/p>\n
The Chronicle also reported on complaints ranging from the proposed development of recreational centers and housing to trucks parking in residential areas.<\/p>\n
The year 2025 was also one of reflection and celebrating those in the arts, activism, Black culture, politics and more.<\/p>\n
January<\/p>\n
A memorial for a slain teen was marred by gun violence in Jamaica on New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
NYPD Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera said 10 people, in about a crowd of 15 waiting to get into the Amazura event space, were shot by four unidentified men.<\/p>\n
The assailants fired 30 times at the victims, ages 16 to 19, who were at Amazura to remember Tae\u2019arion \u201cLil Tae\u201d Mungo of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, who would have turned 17 on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
Tae\u2019arion, an aspiring photographer, was killed in a shooting Oct. 26, 2024.<\/p>\n
A Far Rockaway father of three was charged with a DWI after he crashed his SUV into a school bus with his children in the backseat in Meadowmere on Jan. 4.<\/p>\n
Junior Deslances, 42, of Broad Channel Drive, was hit with a 21-count indictment that also included a charge of operating a motor vehicle while impaired by combined use of drugs or of drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is absolutely no excuse for driving while impaired,\u201d said District Attorney Melinda Katz.<\/p>\n
The life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were celebrated at state Sen. Leroy Comrie\u2019s 10th annual event for the civil rights icon at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n
Comrie (D-St. Albans) may not have been able to attend, but more than 100 people were at JPAC, including Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson (D-South Ozone Park).<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one really knows why they are alive until they know what they\u2019d die for,\u201d said Anderson, quoting King.<\/p>\n
Members of Edge School of the Arts danced to \u201cNutcracker-Act I: Waltz of the Snowflakes,\u201d at the affair.<\/p>\n
February<\/p>\n
Hometown heroes Charles Coleman, Stewart Davis, Joseph Dean, Ora Dean, April Shawn DeJesus, Deborah Foster, Kenneth Harris, Janet R. Hawkins, A.U. Hogan, Lauretta Humphrey and Priscilla Williams were celebrated at Black Spectrum Theatre Co. in St. Albans on Feb. 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an off-shoot of what I\u2019ve been doing since 1975, which was called the Positive Image Awards,\u201d said Chris Curry, a board member of BSTC, of the inaugural awards event. \u201cThese are remarkable individuals who are our Martin Luther King Jrs., our modern-day Harriet Tubmans and our local Barack and Michelle Obamas. Every year we celebrate Black History Month and there are key words, which is Black, and the other word is history, but we never think about the history of our own particular community.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was tension in the air at the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center in St. Albans as 230 people filled the space for the Southeast Queens Parks Update meeting on Feb. 3.<\/p>\n
James Johnson, the advisory chair of the Southern Queens Park Association, the predominantly Black stewardship group responsible for programming at the Roy Wilkins Recreational Center, accused Borough President Donovan Richards of kowtowing to the Parks Department because the elected official supported a proposal to invest more than $140 million into a brand-new center, while the sprinklers and fire panel at the existing facility did not work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe children are safe,\u201d said Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. \u201cThe facility is safe and we would not run \u2014 we could not run a facility that was not safe. … We have to get permits by the Department of Buildings. There is no way we could run a center if it was not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chance Good, 22, of Dillon Street in Jamaica, head of the Never Forget Loyalty street gang, was found guilty Feb. 10 in the 2020 shooting death of a 22-year-old Bronx man at Rufus King Park in Jamaica, according to Katz\u2019s office. The murder stemmed from a marijuana deal turned robbery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis defendant … organized the brazen attempted robbery of a marijuana dealer that turned into a cold-blooded murder in Rufus King Park,\u201d said Katz in a statement. \u201cThe shooting took place in a popular green space frequented by children with their families, teenagers and seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian Corniell, 14, of 159th Street in South Jamaica, was stabbed to death on Valentine\u2019s Day when a gang of teens attacked him at the McDonald\u2019s at 38-02 Queens Blvd. in Sunnyside.<\/p>\n
Police were called and Julian was taken to New York-Presbyterian\/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, where he was pronounced dead. A 14-year-old was charged with gang assault in the first degree.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrican Americans in Uniform,\u201d a Black History Month Fashion Show that was held at the Central Library in Jamaica Feb. 20, had models dressed up as Nina Simone, King, Rosa Parks and Eartha Kitt.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Black History Month we … do fashion going back to the 1900s through the 1960s on fashion and labor,\u201d said Jackie Love, the fashion producer of the event and the founder of J. Love Fashion School of Etiquette, via email. \u201cThe models … take it back in time with our heroes who fought for us as activists in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Southern Queens Parks Association and the city Parks Department reached an interim agreement on Feb. 25 over access to and programming for Roy Wilkins Park and its recreation centers in St. Albans.<\/p>\n
The provisional agreement between the two parties grants SQPA, the city\u2019s only predominantly Black-led park steward, special privileges to access Roy Wilkins and clarifies operational responsibilities as negotiations continue for a permanent sole-source concession agreement, according to the office of Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans). The original operating agreement between Parks and SQPA expired in 2021, resulting in maintenance responsibilities shifting to the Parks Department.<\/p>\n
March<\/p>\n
About 376 guests attended the \u201cColors in Black\u201d art exhibit that featured work by 92 artists from Southeast Queens at Roy Wilkins Recreational Center on March 2, said Jermaine Smith, executive director of SQPA. He said the evening was bursting with great art, food, music and a welcoming atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Olney Ryland curated the work, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams delivered a keynote address, and highlights included the presentation of the Peter Richards Award to Julia and Stanley Mann for their outstanding contributions to the arts in Southeast Queens and their longstanding involvement in the \u201cColors in Black\u201d showcase.<\/p>\n
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) was teary-eyed as she took to the Jazz at Lincoln Center stage in Manhattan on March 4 to \u201cLast Dance,\u201d but her fiery, final pro-democracy State of the City address touted her bonafides and also hinted at what the future could look like if the woman from Hollis were to lead the Big Apple.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocracy isn\u2019t owed to us,\u201d said Adams. \u201cIt isn\u2019t freely given to us. We must be willing to fight for it every single day. That fight may be difficult, but that is why we must root down in our communities and work to preserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A day after her final state address as speaker, Adams launched her campaign for mayor, running against incumbent Mayor Adams, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria), among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never planned to run for Mayor, but I\u2019m not giving up on New York City,\u201d Adams said to the Chronicle via text. \u201cOur city deserves a leader that serves its people first and always, not someone focused on themselves and their own political interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sincere Angel Jazmin, 16, of Addisleigh Park, an aspiring rapper, was killed in Jamaica on March 26.<\/p>\n
The Daily News said Sincere attended John Bowne High School in Kew Gardens Hills. The NYPD said a motive for the shooting was not clear, but told the outlet it is probing whether the teen\u2019s drill raps, in a genre that often includes diss tracks mocking rivals and others, played a role in the crime.<\/p>\n
More than two dozen people from Southeast Queens rallied outside Rockaway Plaza in Springfield Gardens March 27 following the March 20 city Department of Transportation announcement that only one of three overnight truck pilot areas are in the borough and it will not encompass the region\u2019s JFK Industrial Business Zone.<\/p>\n
Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Laurelton), chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, held the rally in conjunction with Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans) and said \u201cSoutheast Queens will not be ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n
The councilwomen and leaders from Community Board 13, GatewayJFK, the Eastern Queens Alliance, United Neighbors Civic Association and several other civic associations said they are not against the Maspeth IBZ pilot area on 56th Road, from 43rd to 49th streets, the lone site in Queens. They just wish Mayor Adams had collaborated with all communities that have made complaints about trucks parking in residential areas.<\/p>\n
April<\/p>\n
April 1 was the launch of Space Month at the Queens Public Library.<\/p>\n
Space enthusiasts were able to explore the Northern Lights at the Central Library in Jamaica on April 8.<\/p>\n
The Allen Community Senior Citizens Center in Rochdale was the site of the 22nd Older Adult Town Hall on April 9, and those who were young at heart did not hold back.<\/p>\n
Traffic safety, public safety, public transportation and the condition of the streets were all brought up at the town hall, said Department of the Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cort\u00e9s V\u00e1zquez, who told the Chronicle. \u201cSome issues were about composting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salon workers and a customer were shaken up April 10 when a man wielding a knife threatened to kill the store owner and attacked employees after he was asked to pay for a manicure, pedicure and eyebrow wax up front at Fine Nail salon in Jamaica.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me he was going to stab me,\u201d the salon owner, 64, told the Chronicle. \u201cHe tried to break everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
An employee told the Chronicle in Spanish that the man had asked for a similar service at the previous store she worked at but then ran out, hence the upfront charge.<\/p>\n
The iconic dancehall deejay and singer Sister Nancy was at VP Records on Record Store Day, April 12, in Jamaica for the signing of an exclusive reissue of her classic 1982 album \u201cOne Two,\u201d which features the hit song \u201cBam Bam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis reissue has been a long time in the making,\u201d Donovan Williams, the director of the record label VPAL Music, who oversaw the release of the project, said via email. \u201c\u2018One Two\u2019 has been out of print for over 40 years, even though it includes \u2018Bam Bam,\u2019 one of the most sampled and enduring tracks in reggae. We worked closely with Techniques Records to bring it back the right way, and Record Store Day felt like the right moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearly two years after the CUNY Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Claudia Schrader as the interim president of York College, the university board made her role permanent on April 15.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Schrader is a proven leader whose passion for CUNY\u2019s mission of educational opportunity and excellence has had a significant impact on a generation of students throughout our system,\u201d said CUNY Chancellor F\u00e9lix V. Matos Rodr\u2019guez in a statement.<\/p>\n
May<\/p>\n
One long-term Community Board 13 member was celebrated with cheers, during a Zoom meeting, reported the Chronicle on May 1.<\/p>\n
At the online forum, the group congratulated Bess DeBetham, a member since 1986, who spent more than 40 years fighting for an additional police precinct to be installed in the Southeast Queens area.<\/p>\n
During Borough President Donovan Richards\u2019 State of the Borough address on April 25, he announced that the community room at the long-sought 116th Precinct will be named after DeBetham.<\/p>\n
On May 1, Yvonne Reddick, the longtime district manager for CB 12, was celebrated, among other Southeast Queens leaders, in Jamaica.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came, I did my best,\u201d said Reddick. \u201cI\u2019m not saying goodbye. I will continue to help where there is a need. Without pay. I mean it. I enjoyed it all. It\u2019s about helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n
About 50 people attended the inaugural Baisley Pond Park Memorial Day wreath laying on May 24.<\/p>\n
Patricia Wooden, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 483 president, said the event marked the first time since 1921 that the military monument has been acknowledged.<\/p>\n
June<\/p>\n
Straphangers had varying opinions on June 1 about the new 168th Street Bus Terminal that has temporarily replaced the terminus on 165th Street in Jamaica.<\/p>\n
Some liked the layout of the interim terminal, while others found the location inconvenient and more.<\/p>\n
Xyomara, who didn\u2019t wish to disclose her last name, said in Spanish that she liked the style and cleanliness of the new terminal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very nice,\u201d Xyomara said. \u201cThis space is better because it has more light.\u201d<\/p>\n
On June 5, the Chronicle reported on the end of Small Business Month, which included a tour of stores in Downtown Jamaica,.<\/p>\n
Throughout the Downtown Jamaica business tour, managers and entrepreneurs told Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens) and Comrie (D-St. Albans), along with other local, city and state officials about their struggles due to dedicated bus lanes, rising insurance costs and mass development. They also expressed their thoughts about planned tariffs.<\/p>\n
A Zoom presentation for proposed affordable housing in Queens Village was held June 9 for members of CB 13\u2019s Land Use Committee.<\/p>\n
The proposal calls for transforming three commercial two- to three-story buildings, along with a parking lot, into a 310-unit housing complex that is 12 stories high.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is bad for the community,\u201d said CB 13 District Manager Mark McMillan. \u201cIt\u2019s twice the size of any building anywhere close. … \u201cThey are saying the reason they have to do 12 stories is because it is the only way they can justify it financially because it is affordable building.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some initial confusion with the rollout of phase 1 of the Queens Bus Network Redesign on June 29 was anticipated.<\/p>\n
To address it, New York City Transit staff took to the streets of Jamaica on June 16, during rush hour at the intersection of Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue just north of the Long Island Rail Road\u2019s Jamaica Station to help customers.<\/p>\n
More than 6,000 people and 102 vendors were at the fifth Juneteenth in Queens festival held at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans on June 19.<\/p>\n
Queens Village\u2019s very own DJ Envy, was on the ones and twos, and rapper Jim Jones performed his hit song \u201cWe Fly High.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hyndman, who sponsored legislation that made Juneteenth a state holiday, danced on stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New Year had a bloody start as the holiday season wrapped up in Southeast Queens. The Chronicle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4982,39824,39825,303,3365,67,9,24,63,10649,37187,122,124,123,39823,608],"class_list":{"0":"post-80287","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-cb-12","10":"tag-cb-13","11":"tag-crime","12":"tag-economy","13":"tag-education","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-parks","18":"tag-qpl","19":"tag-queens","20":"tag-queens-headlines","21":"tag-queens-news","22":"tag-space-month","23":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80287","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=80287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}