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NYPD FACES OFF IN ANNUAL BOXING TOURNAMENT

Proceeds Will Benefit Atlas Cops & Kids Foundation to Fun Free Boxing gyms for Officers and Local Children

Join Resorts World Casino New York City for NYPD Boxing Team’s “The Luck of the Irish” boxing tournament at the largest event space in Queens – the casino’s very own Central Park event space –  on Thursday, March 16 at 8 p.m. “The Luck of The Irish” will benefit the Atlas Cops & Kids Foundation, which offers free boxing gyms to police officers and local children.

The annual event will feature approximately 18 police officers from across New York City, including the 23^rd, 106^th and 113^th precincts, facing off to raise funds for the Atlas Cops & Kids Foundation.  Hundreds of police officers will attend the event to support their fellow officers with the help of transportation arranged by RWCNYC.

The “Cops vs. Cops” tradition was founded in 2000 by Dave Siev of the 67th Precinct in Brooklyn. This is the second year in a row the event will be held at Resorts World Casino New York City; last year, it raised $70,000. In 2017, Atlas Cops & Kids Foundation hopes to open a new gym in the Bronx and eventually operate at least one gym in all five boroughs. Currently, the three gyms serve around 300 kids in total.

Enjoy watching New York’s finest duke it out for a good cause and the title of top fighter of the NYPD! For more information and directions to the 2017 Queens All-In Smoker, please visit www.nypdboxing.com, call 646-377-0846, or email smokecop@yahoo.com.

Tickets may be purchased via www.rwnewyork.com or at the Resorts World Casino Gift Shop. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Resorts World Casino New York City is located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd in Jamaica, NY.

Elected officials in southeast Queens are hosting a town hall against hate on Friday night at the Jamaica Muslim Center.

At the event, speakers from city government will update residents on efforts to keep all New Yorkers safe.

With the rise in hate crimes in the city, many residents have expressed concerns about their safety. Officials hope to reassure community members of their rights and protections under the law with this event.

The sponsors of the event include: State Senator Leroy Comrie, Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel, Assemblyman David Weprin, Councilman Rory Lancman, Councilman I. Daneek Miller, the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Human Rights Commission, Queens DA’s office and the New York Immigration Coalition.

A burglary call lead police to bust three individuals on weapons charges in South Ozone Park on February 28.

According to police, they received a call of a burglary in progress in the vicinity of the Van Wyck Expressway and 105th Avenue at around 1:15 p.m.

Plainclothes officers from the anti-crime unit responded to the scene to interview the complainant and received a description of the suspects, two males and a female. Responding officers canvassed the area and discovered individuals fitting the described heading westbound on 107th Avenue.

As the officers attempted to stop the suspects, one of the males dropped a gun to the floor and they continued to walk away. At that time, police exited their vehicle and took all three individuals into custody without incident.

At the scene, they recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver from the waistband of the Shawn Baker, 33, of Richmond Virginia and a loaded .22 caliber revolver from the purse of Tiffany Rutledge, 22 of Richmond Virginia.

Police also recovered a 9MM Hi-Point handgun dropped by Jamel Lewis, 39 of Richmond Hill, Queens.

Upon further investigation, police discovered the individuals had exited a Lincoln Navigator parked near the initial incident location. After viewing ammunition in plain sight in the vehicle, they were able to obtain a search warrant from the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.

A search of the vehicle yielded as .40 caliber Hi-Point handgun as well as approximately 200 rounds of various ammunition.

All three individuals were charged with two counts of weapons possession and criminal trespassing. Baker was additionally charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Resorts World Casino is hosting no-cost mammograms and clinical breast examinations at 110-00 Rockaway Boulevard on March 9. See the flier below for more details:

Zara Realty, a leader in the Jamaica community, plans to highlight residents who are special to Jamaica.

Each month, this noteworthy resident will be featured in a local newspaper, and receive ticket vouchers to an off-broadway show or sports event.

This is one of many new Zara initiatives. Another is a $200 referral fee for referring a friend to live at one of Zara’s luxury apartments.

February is Black History Month, and elected officials from southeast Queens are celebrating with an array of events.

Today, State Senator Leroy Comrie, Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel and Councilman I. Daneek Miller are hosting a screening of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s PBS documentary “Black American Since MLK: And Still I Rise” at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL).

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the following civil rights intellectuals:

• Dr. George White, CUNY York College
• Natasha Merle, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Ronald Day, David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy
• Wilbert Kirby, Congress of Racial Equality
• Dante Barry, Million Hoodies Movement
• Norman Siegel, civil rights attorney

The documentary will begin at 6:45 p.m., and the panel discussion will begin at 7:15 p.m.

The film screening will be followed by a military Black History Month celebration on Thursday.

State Senator Comrie’s Veterans Advisory Committee, in collaboration with Assemblywoman Hyndman, Assemblyman Vanel, Councilman Miller and Councilman Donovan Richards, VFW Post 1896 and American Legion Post 438, are hosting a presentation on the contributions of African Americans and Caribbean Americans to the United States Armed Forces.

The event will take place at American Legion Post 438 at 240-08 135th Avenue in Rosedale from 6 to 9 p.m.

Food and light refreshments will be available.

Do you remember this case?

Back in October, 29-year-old Richard “Kwasi” Springer from South Jamaica was caught on video punching a 69-year-old woman walking out of a store at 107-60 Sutphin Boulevard.

He punched her in the head with a closed fist, causing her to fall to the ground.

She sustained a serious injury to her head, was taken to Jamaica Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

Springer was charged with 1st degree robbery and 2nd degree assault.

Today, after an examination by the Medical Examiner’s Office, the incident has been reclassified as a a homicide, police said.

 

Elected officials who oppose the City Council-backed plastic bag fee celebrated a victory this week.

Last May, the Council passed legislation that would put a 5-cent fee on carryout plastic bags. Though many legislators voted for it because of its positive environmental impact, others decried it as a way to “nickel and dime” low-income and senior residents.

Opposition to the bill went all the way to Albany, where Brooklyn State Senator Simcha Felder led a push to block the bill from being implemented. The effort worked, as both chambers in the State Legislature passed a one-year moratorium on the fee, which was supposed to take effect today.

On Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the moratorium, barring similar legislation until January 2018. Instead, he called for a task force to create a statewide plan to address the environmental impact of plastic bags.

Elected officials against the fee cheered on the governor’s decision.

“I am so pleased to see that Governor Cuomo agrees with many of my constituents, who believe that there are far better ways to address the plastic bag issue than charging customers five cents to the benefit of the grocery stores,” said State Senator Joseph Addabbo, who was vocal about his opposition. “I look forward to working with the Governor’s newly created task force to credibly eliminate plastic bags from our environment.”

“The people have spoken out in opposition to the plastic bag fee,” he added, “and their state government heard them loud and clear.”

Queens Councilman Barry Grodenchik, who voted against the measure in the City Council, also thanked Governor Cuomo for signing the delay. He called it a “regressive tax” that would “unfairly fall on the shoulders of working families and seniors.”

“The five cents collected per bag would not benefit the city or the environment, but instead go directly int0 merchants’ pockets,” Grodenchik said. “It is unfortunate that the State government had to get involved, but it was necessary.”

“I will continue to fight to permanently block this tax,” he added. ‘”Surely there are better ways of achieving our shared goal of responsible environmental stewardship.”

The New York League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group, issued a statement against the Governor’s moratorium.

“We are deeply saddened that Governor Cuomo has signed the bill to nullify New York City’s fee on carryout bags,” said Marcia Bystryn, NYLCV’s president. “Though we appreciate his obvious concern for the issue, there is now a law on the books that overturns the principle of home rule and leaves us with no near-term solution to the very real problem of plastic bag waste.”

“Let us be clear: a task force that does not lead to a robust statewide law is not an acceptable consolation prize,” she added. “We take Governor Cuomo at his word that he will work with the Senate and Assembly and act expeditiously.”

 

An arriving passenger at John F. Kennedy International Airport was caught with cocaine inside four pairs of sneakers in his luggage.

On Thursday, February 9, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials stopped Amaziah Hohenkirk, from Guyana, who was arriving on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana through Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

During a routine inspection, officers found the four pairs of sneakers, along with two pairs of shoes, in his luggage. They contained a white powder that later tested positive for cocaine.

Hohenkirk was arrested for importing a controlled substance and was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security.

The cocaine he carried in his luggage totaled 4 pounds and was valued at approximately $67,000.

He now faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District.

“This latest seizure demonstrates the vigilance of our CBP officers, and their excellence in detecting those who would try to smuggle these illegal substances,” said Robert E. Perez, director of field operations.