Antonio Vulcano of Glendale and Farmingdale passed away on Monday, May 10, 2021 at the age of 59. He was the Loving Son of Assunta Vulcano and the late Antonio. Dear Brother of Rosario and Saverio. Visitation Thursday, May 13, 2021 6-9pm. Services offered at St. Pancras Church on May 14, 2021. Entombment at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newburgh, NY under the direction of Hess-Miller Funeral Home. 64-19 Metropolitan AVenue, Middle Village, NY 11379.
Marie Werkmann (Jaklitsch) passed away on Friday, May 7, 2021 at the age of 86. Native of Otterbach, Gottschee, she was the beloved wife of Karl, devoted mother of Gerald (Mary) and Eric. She is survived by siblings, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. The wake will be held on Thursday, May 13 from 2PM to 5PM at Hess-Miller Funeral Home located at 64-19 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:45 AM on Friday, May 14 at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church located at 62-81 60th Place, Ridgewood followed by interment in Cypress Hills Cemetery under the direction of Hess-Miller Funeral Home.
Community Board 5 will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m.
On the agenda is a public hearing regarding a proposed zoning text change is intended to allow the Metropolitan Transportation to leverage private developments to help create more accessible subway stations.
There will also be a public hearing on a proposed zoning text change requiring City Planning Commission approval for new and enlarged hotels and motels, tourist cabins and boatels in commercial, mixed-use and paired M1/R zoning districts. This proposed special permit requirement would override existing hotel special permit requirements.
There will also be a public forum to review applications for the sale of alcoholic beverages and building demolition notices, and committee reports.
Members of the public can view the meeting at youtu.be/583V8yNxTIg or nyc.gov/qnscb5.
Anyone wishing to offer a statement at the public hearing or during the public forum is asked to submit a typed statement to QN05@cb.nyc.gov by 2 p.m. on May 12, so that it can be read into the record.
For additional information, call the Board 5 office at (718) 366-1834.
National Nurses Week runs from May 6th to May 12th of every year, paying tribute to the profession of nursing and honoring those who work in healthcare.
Over the past year the sacrifice of nurses who have been working around the clock to stave off the pandemic has been more evident than ever, and in New Hyde Park the Long Island Jewish Medical Center is shining a spotlight on their caretakers while celebrating with the community.
Margaret Muphy, the associate executive director of patient care services at LIJ Medical Center and the hospital’s chief nursing officer believes there is a lot to reflect on that’s taken place over the past year. Not only has she seen nurses rush headfirst into uncertainty, putting the health of their patients above their own, but also an amazing outpouring of support from New Yorkers and specifically Queens.
“Knowing that the community was behind the entire healthcare team was just so incredible,” she said. “So many of those nurses will tell you, ‘I’d do it all again.’”
Murphy saw the positive impact the support of the community had on nurses firsthand. In the midst of the city’s first wave of COVID-19 cases that began in March of last year the fatigue that nurses felt at the time was real, pioneering new ground with limited resources in the face of a deadly virus. When people would bang pots and pans together outside their windows at 7 PM, when police officers and firefighters showed up to salute healthcare workers, Murphy said the boost in moral among the hospital’s team was palpable.
One of the ways LIJ Medical Center is recognizing and celebrating its team members is through social media. Part of Northwell Health, the healthcare network’s Instagram account has amassed over 23 thousand followers since it was created a couple years ago.
Executive Director of LIJ Medical Center, Michael Goldberg, started the page as a way to “focus on recognizing our team members for the effort they put forward each and every day,” but has overseen its evolving role evolve since then. “We’ve seen a significant increase in trust through the pandemic as our Instagram has caught on.”
As Murphy explains, “One of the things that nurses have always done is educate patients. The greatest tool that you could give a patient is knowledge. Just through education, you help the patient make an informed decision and feel more comfortable.”
While the LIJ Medical Center has always embraced an open-door policy when it comes to engaging with patients, COVID-19 and technology have turned it into an open inbox. An easy and accessible way for the community to connect with health professionals, the hospital’s social media presence helps showcase the humanity of frontline workers and conveys their personality as a cohesive team.
Instagram is just one of the ways that LIJ Medical Center is engaging with local communities. The hospital has been collaborating with churches, townships, and other local institutions to set up mobile vaccination sites throughout the five boroughs. “We currently have the resources and capacity to vaccinate 30,000 people a day,” Goldberg said. “And we’ve already set up the infrastructure to do 100,000 in preparation of increased vaccine availability.”
After a Monday night loss to the Cardinals, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater.
Through the early weeks of the season the Mets bats have fallen remarkably short of high expectations, as New York entered the season with one of their best lineups in recent years.
The most obvious issue in the lineup is the bat of the Mets’ most expensive player. Through the first weeks of the season, Francisco Lindor’s production at the plate has been abysmal.
The star SS has shown off his immense defensive ability, but at the plate fans are still waiting to see results as he hits under .170 with one HR and three RBI.
The fans aren’t the only ones waiting, as Lindor is well aware of his struggles at the dish, even with premature boos coming down from a handful of reactive fans.
“They expect results, I expect results and I get it,” said Lindor. “I just hope they cheer and jump on the field when I start hitting home runs and help the team on a daily basis”
Those home runs and big results can’t come sooner for Lindor, who extended his hitless streak to 21 at bats on Monday. It’s the second-worst streak in his career and it’s tough to see New York’s newest star struggling so badly in his first season.
The struggles are in no way limited to Lindor, as a familiar issue is again plaguing the Mets offense. Just like in the past few years, the Mets have shown absolutely no ability to hit with runners on base.
Situational hitting has seemingly been an afterthought in the early season, as the Mets again rank near the bottom of the league in batting average with runners in scoring position.
The lack of hitting with runners on is translating to other team stats like runs per game. New York also ranks second-worst in the league at just 3.3, a disturbing sight for a team who can barely provide run support for dominant pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman.
With 10 of their first 23 games settled by 1 run, the Mets may only need a few small tweaks to win more close games. If the Mets come up big just one or two more times per game, the close losses can easily turn into close wins.
Following a 2-1 loss in Philadelphia last Friday, the Mets averaged 6 runs over their next three games. A 5-4 win evened the series before New York took the rubber game 8-7. In their first game in St Louis, the Mets put up a solid five runs in a 6-5 loss.
With the Mets finally scoring runs, the next couple of weeks will be huge if the Mets want to take advantage of the underperforming NL East, with no teams able to stay over .500 so far.
Now is the time for the Mets to get going, as there is no clear frontrunner for the division. The bats are heating up and pitching has remained relatively strong, so if New York can keep positive momentum, they should be able to leave this team-wide slump behind them.
Taking over as hitting coach is Hugh Quattlebaum, with Kevin Howard taking over as assistant. Quattlebaum was hired by the Mariners in 2018 and the front office change may be the spark that reignites the Mets offense.
Capitals winger Tom Wilson avoided a hefty punishment for his dirty hits to Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin in a scrap with the Rangers.
In the second period with New York up 3-2, a play at Washington’s net led to a scrap between the two teams. With Buchnevich lying on the ice defenseless, Wilson gave the Rangers forward a few cheap shots to the head.
The scrum continued with Ryan Strome pulling Wilson off of Buchnevich, before Panarin jumped in to pull the two apart.
Wilson turned to Panarin, wrestling the Rangers’ star’s helmet off before throwing him down to the ice head-first.
Video seemed to show Wilson grabbing Panarin’s hair as he pulled him down, though upon review the NHL Department of Player Safety said they found no definitive evidence.
After the chaos, Wilson was assessed a 10-minute misconduct, though Panarin and were also penalized for two minutes each.
“We all saw it,” said Rangers head coach David Quinn following the game. “There are lines that can’t be crossed in this game. There’s just zero respect for the game in general.”
Quinn was not the only member of the Rangers to speak up after the game. Star center Mika Zibanejad also had words for Wilson.
“I figure you should have more respect for the game and for the players. It’s just horrible,” he remarked.
On Tuesday, the announcment came regarding Wilson’s punishment. While many expected a heft suspension as the incident is far from Wilson’s first, he walked away with a single $5,000 fine for the cheap shot on Buchnevich.
The decision is strange given the severity of the hits, though given the NHL’s track record regarding suspensions and discipline, it’s not the first time it’s happened.
Wilson is no stranger to suspensions, picking up four over the span of just over 100 games played. Wilson was also given a 7-game suspension earlier this year after a brual hit on Boston’s Brandon Carlo that sent the Bruins defenseman to the hospital for a night.
It seems despite Wilson’s constant dangerous play and refusal to clean up his game, the NHL is prioritizing money over player safety and the integrity of the game.
With the Rangers and Capitals facing off again Wednesday night on national TV and Washington poised for another deep postseason run, Wilson is sure to make plenty more appearances on primetime television.
To rub salt in the wound, the Rangers were officially eliminated from postseason contention as Washington came back to win 6-3.
Monday’s game was also the last of the year for Panarin, who left with a lower body injury after serving his penalty. Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren are also out for the final games of the year.
Even with a handful of players out for New York, the final games of the year can give young stars a change to keep improving before next year.
The Rangers rebuild seems to be over, though this young team still needs more experience, and possibly a bit more fight and grit as they look to fine tune their roster with a big offseason ahead.
Queensboro FC announced construction of a new stadium in Queens last week, and the incoming USL club is continuing to take strides as they prepare for their inaugural season next year. In an announcement Monday, Queensboro announced the appointment of Adam Schneider as the club’s president.
Schneider is an experienced sports and entertainment executive with a hearty resume including work with the Detroit Pistons and Lollapalooza Music Festival, and now the Queens native is bringing his talents to his home borough’s next big project.
Schneider spent six and a half years as the head of entertainment at Palace Sports & Entertainment, which operated the Pistons’ home arena and a few Detroit amphitheaters.
Over his time in Michigan, Schneider and Palace Sports & Entertainment helped orchestrate the Pistons’ return to downtown Detroit, a big project to help revitalize the heart of the city.
Palace Sports & Entertainment orchestrated over 150 events annually between the Pistons home games and various events at the arena and amphitheaters. Well over one million people attended events each year.
With Lollapalooza, Schneider played an instrumental role in laying the groundwork for the music festival. Schneider set up the blueprints for the event, which are still used today and have been replicated by other music festivals and similar events.
Over these two career stops, Schneider helped generate over $1 billion in total revenue, showcasing his talent as a sports and business executive.
Given his track record, it’s clear that Schneider is a perfect candidate to help Queensboro FC’s big first projects. With a 7,500-seat stadium to be built over this year and the next, having a seasoned executive on board like Schneider will put this project in safe hands.
“We are delighted to have Adam join the Queensboro FC family, and we welcome him back to the world’s borough,” said QBFC owner Jonathan Krane. “Adam’s track record of success, business acumen, and commitment to building diverse teams and partnerships will greatly benefit the development of an innovative sporting organization, and breakthrough fan experiences.”
“I look forward to helping Queensboro FC become a benchmark sports and entertainment organization in Queens and New York City, both on and off the field,” said Schneider. “The shared live sports experience is priceless and irreplaceable, and we are dedicated to bringing people together to celebrate culture and community through Queensboro FC.”
For the incoming club, things did not start smoothly. The COVID pandemic derailed the initial plans to start the club in 2021, pushing their pro debut back one year.
Still, the club moved ahead with other big projects. Their early involvement with the community has led to strong bonds before the team even kicks off in Queens.
The long-awaited project to bring pro soccer to Queens is finally in motion, and with the right additions to the club’s growing front office, Queensboro FC is taking strides in the right direction.
For one of the football teams in town, the draft provided little-to-no drama, playing out the way you thought it would a week ago.
It was the worst-kept secret for the last two months that the Jets were selecting Zach Wilson out of BYU as their next quarterback.
Wilson’s baby face and outward charisma will be touted in commercials and on billboards across the Big Apple in the months ahead.
Media attention for a rookie quarterback in New York City is par for the course, however the plan of attack for the Jets in building around this particular rookie quarterback is drastically different than the way they built around their prior rookie quarterback in Sam Darnold.
The Jets did a terrible job of surrounding their last quarterback with offensive talent.
Clearly, Jets general manager Joe Douglas wanted to avoid the mistakes of the past. The Jets traded up for an offensive tackle in the middle portion of the first round.
They drafted a wide receiver in the second round, and they added a running back in the later rounds.
The message from top to bottom was simple: we are going to do our best to set up a rookie quarterback in the best position imaginable.
Can I tell you for sure that in five years the Jets will be a competent, well-run organization? Of course not, but the plan in place is certainly set up for success.
For the other football team in town, the drama was all about a draft-day narrative that was squashed for good after Friday night.
In the days leading up to the NFL Draft, Giants general manager Dave Gettelman heard a pretty basic critique of his draft day strategy: “when will Dave Gettelman trade down in a draft?”
It was a fair question considering that Gettleman in his years running both the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants has never traded out of a draft pick to accumulate more assets.
In 2021, it seems like hell may be freezing over. Dave Gettelman not once, but twice traded down.
When the Giants missed out on the chance to land Alabama standout wide receiver Devonta Smith, the team made a practical move.
The Giants identified the Chicago Bears as a quarterback needy team and worked out a deal to acquire the Bears first-round pick next year plus additional assets.
In addition, the Giants found themselves in a similar position in the second round of the draft. They traded back with the Miami Dolphins and picked up their third round pick next year.
The Giants landed Florida Wide Receiver Kadarius Toney and Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who should both fill obvious needs for the team.
It’s a win-win for the Giants, because they are also set up next year with a bundle of draft picks, a bundle of draft picks that could be used to build around Daniel Jones or to land the franchise’s next quarterback.
I look forward to grading these draft results in the years to come, but I know this, draft day was certainly done differently in New York this time around.
You can listen to me on my new podcast “New York, New York” on the Ringer Podcast Network which can be found on both Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
In Strange But True, a new exhibit opening at the Queens Museum, artist Sydney Shen takes a look at the construction of truth and methodologies used to establish facts, focusing on photographic documentation practices and their power to shape culture norms.
In her work, the New York-based artist often creates sculptures and environments that commingle historical and contemporary symbols.
For her new solo exhibition, she explores various photographic techniques, juxtaposing early medical photographs with contemporary forms, like closed-circuit television, to cull a visual vocabulary focused on our voyeuristic sensibilities of “othered bodies.”
Literally a sideways world, Strange But True is an immersive installation that blurs the line between amusing and sinister, using the distance of metafiction in conjunction with optical manipulations to demonstrate that the study of evidence can never offer a complete and unbiased picture.
Strange But True was in part inspired by Shen’s interest in the philosopher Georges Bataille, whose writings on macabre and taboo subjects have long been a touchstone for her. With this exhibition, Shen contends with a friction that arises between her alignment with Bataille’s sensibilities, and the factual inaccuracies that his assertions can leverage and sustain, from his Western White male gaze.
Bataille was transfixed by photos of “lingchi,” an obsolete Chinese method of execution, also known as “death by a thousand cuts.” He heralded it as a rare depiction of a person in a spiritual state of rapturous suffering.
“Bataille’s flawed interpretation shaped assumptions still held today about Chinese culture, religion, and society,” said Shen. “This leads me to wonder how I can reconcile my relation to these photographs and Bataille, when my own racial selfhood is subject to — perhaps even influenced by — the gaze that the discourse around these photos has perpetuated?”
The role of photography in pathologizing bodies is also connected to the culture of world expositions, which dating back to the 19th century notoriously presented both official and unofficial exhibitions of marginalized bodies, such as foreign peoples, women, and the disabled, as curiosities to be consumed.
The two New York World’s Fairs of 1939-40 and 1964-65 were no exception: the fairgrounds were surrounded by plentiful adult amusements, including sideshows and peep shows, voyeuristic invitations that are inextricably linked to the mechanics and aesthetics of photographic technology.
Both fairs liberally deployed spectacle to promote an unrelenting optimism toward technological innovation.
The 1939-40 Fair celebrated the 100th anniversary of photography and featured an entire pavilion dedicated to the Eastman Kodak Co., where, among elaborate installations, fairgoers were first introduced to Kodachrome color film, billed as a surefire way to “capture life, just as you see it.”
Strange But True is organized by assistant curator Sophia Marisa Lucas and is on view April 28 through August 22.
When Claire Shulman passed away last August at the age of 94, Queens lost one of its greatest advocates. However, the legacy of the borough’s trailblazing first female borough president continues to live on and inspire.
This past Monday, Borough President Donovan Richards presided over a ceremony unveiling “One Claire Shulman Way” as the vanity address of Borough Hall.
“Claire Shulman was a larger-than-life figure who consistently defied expectations with her uncanny ability to get things done for the people of Queens,” said Richards. “Her death last year was a huge loss to all of us who relied on her friendship and counsel, but we keep her legacy and memory alive by permanently and prominently affixing her name to Queens Borough Hall.
“From now on, everyone who visits the people’s house will see the name of Claire Shulman and reflect on the great work she did to build a better Queens,” he added.
Shulman was one of the first people to get behind Richards’ campaign for borough president.
“Claire Shulman was my unofficial campaign manager,” Richards said. “I can’t believe she supported me.”
Shulman served as Borough President from 1986 until 2002, and played a role in a wide range of issues.
Her accomplishments included the rezoning of dozens of neighborhoods to curb overdevelopment, expanding the borough’s infrastructure, and increasing funding to senior citizen centers, cultural programs and libraries.
“She expected a lot out of me and she expected a lot out of everyone,” explained Larry Schulman, the son of the late borough president. “She could not give up the task of making Queens a better place.”
Former borough president and current Queens district attorney Melinda Katz echoed similar sentiments.
“Claire was a loving person, there was no doubt about it, but she was tough,” said Katz. “I am proud of the years I had working under her and the years I had working with her.”
Taking part in the ceremony were former borough president Sharron Lee and City Council members Karen Koslowitz and Barry Grodenchik.
“There is B.C. Queens and A.C. Queens, before Claire Shulman and after Claire Shulman” said Grodenchik. “There is not a single neighborhood she didn’t touch.”
